


Of Screwdrivers and Limousines

by Dreamshaper



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: Also a bit of Angst, Alternate Universe, F/F, Helena is sad and wants a drink, Mostly Fluff, fortunately Dinah is a barkeep, no crime, no powers, this is a cheesy love story lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 24,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23911747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamshaper/pseuds/Dreamshaper
Summary: Dinah Lance is a barkeep at the Silver Badge bar of former cop Renee Montoya. A new guest shows up one Monday evening, and Dinah finds herself quite fascinated by her.
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Dinah Lance
Comments: 212
Kudos: 229





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm AU trash, so of course the third fic I write for this pairing is a complete AU. I had fun writing this, so I hope you will have fun reading it! :D

It’s a slow night at the Silver Badge bar, which isn’t unusual on a Monday evening, but still Dinah is bored; she’s cleaned all the glasses, has wiped all the tables and the bar, and has made sure they are fully stocked, and now she has nothing to do until a guest shows up, the few people who are here already all having drinks and not needing anything from her for the moment.

_ This is why I don’t like working Mondays _ , she ponders as she toys with her glass of water, the owner of her bar, her boss and friend, does make sure to keep the slow shifts like Monday evenly spread among her barkeeps, but she still has to work two Mondays this month, and that annoys her.

Not only are Mondays boring, but less business means less tips, too, an even more valid reason to be annoyed than the boredom.

Just making sure that the glasses really are all clean, Dinah takes another look at them, if only so another minute or two will tick by; and just then, the door opens, and she finds herself smiling brightly, glad that another guest is arriving, giving her something to do, even if it won’t last for long.

It’s a new face, Dinah realizes at once, not one of the many regulars the bar has; it’s a young woman, Dinah guesses they are roughly the same age, tall and with a wiry build, dressed in black and leaning somewhat heavily on a cane of the same colour, clearly favouring her right leg as she makes her way to the bar, sitting at the far end of it instead of closer to the barkeep.

Dinah can read a “leave me the fuck alone” signal when she gets one, and that is one of the clearest she’s received in a while; she knows not to take it personal though, and so she still smiles her professional smile as she approaches the woman and asks her what she can get her.

“Beer and a shot”, the woman says in response, “vodka. Cold. No ice.”

_ No please, either _ , Dinah notes, but she has been doing this for a while, so unfriendly or downright rude guests are not new to her; she keeps the fake smile up as she nods, then goes to get the drinks, and by the time she puts them down in front of the woman, the newcomer already has the money for them readied, pushing crisp bills over the counter and mumbling “keep the change”, a pleasant surprise as Dinah has been fairly certain that she’d be the kind of guest who wouldn’t tip.

“Thanks”, she says, the only response she gets being a grunt; the woman then drinks the shot down first, and it seems she’s had some practice as there’s no visible reaction to the burn of the alcohol, then washes it down with a generous gulp of beer, toying with the bottle afterwards as she sits there and stares into nothingness.

Dinah sneaks glances at her from the corner of her eye as she finds little tasks to keep herself busy behind the bar, making sure to not be obvious, but the woman seems lost in her own thoughts as it is; there seems to a strange sort of sadness to her as she sits there, staring at her beer, not even looking around at the other people in the bar, and if she hadn’t sat so far away from her, Dinah would have gone over to ask if she’s okay.

She’s fairly certain this will get her snapped at though, and so she doesn’t do it; she leaves the woman be until she sees her finish her beer, then she walks over and asks if she can get her anything else, the newcomer responding by ordering the exact same thing again. 

Again, she has the money ready by the time Dinah brings the drinks, and again she tells her to keep the change; she drinks the shot down first again, and follows it with a gulp of beer, things Dinah notes from the corner of her eye again as she glances at her every now and then.

She’s not quite sure why, but something about this woman intrigues her; perhaps it’s the vague sadness she seems to be radiating, and which makes her so different to those who come to the bar to meet friends and have fun, or the way she just sits there and stares at her beer, not looking up at anyone or anything once.

Once again, Dinah feels the urge to go over and ask her if she’s okay, but ignores it, and decides she better distract herself; she very thoroughly cleans the first shotglass she’s used for the newcomer, then checks on the few guests which are there, and takes a few drink orders, something to keep her busy for her a few more minutes.

One of them has even ordered a cocktail, and that makes her weirdly happy, because it takes a bit of time to prepare it and because she enjoys it; she’s the best of the staff at making cocktails, even the boss has said so, and she’s begun creating her own recipes, even though she hasn’t managed to get one onto the drink menu yet, her boss not quite convinced that they are good and will sell. 

As she starts pouring the ingredients into the shaker and then shakes it to mix them, she notices the newcomer watch her, instead of staring at her beer; she catches her eye and smiles, and after a moment, the woman looks away again, apparently finding her bottle more interesting after all.

For some strange reason, this bothers Dinah more than it probably should, but she shrugs it off and focuses on finishing the drink, then bringing them to the tables where they’ve been ordered; and when she’s done and returns to her spot behind the bar, the woman is gone, the only signs she’s been there being the empty bottle and the shotglass.

And as she removes the bottle and the glass from the bar, Dinah finds herself wondering if this woman will come back here, and then why she’s so intrigued by her, curious if she’ll ever have the chance to find out why she seems so sad.


	2. Chapter 2

The next evening, although Tuesday and so not a big party day either, is a bit busier, a group of a dozen people showing up celebrating some achievement one of them has managed to accomplish; they order beer and shots, and keep Dinah fairly busy for a while, and when she returns to the bar after having brought the drinks to their table, the woman from the previous evening is there, as if having materialized out of nowhere.

She sits on the same spot at the far end of the bar, dressed in black again, toying with a coaster and staring at it as if it holds the secrets of the universe; she looks up when Dinah approaches her though, and Dinah smiles at her, not surprised when the smile isn’t returned.

“Hey”, she says, making sure to sound friendly anyway, and not just so they won’t get a bad Yelp review, “welcome back. Beer and a shot of vodka? Cold, no ice?”

“...yeah”, the woman says, appearing slightly surprised that Dinah remembers her order, after she’s been here just one time; Dinah gives her another smile, then goes to get the drinks, once again getting a nice tip when the woman pays.

Dinah thanks her as she puts the cash away, standing a step or two closer to her this time, just in case she does want to talk; she seems to have no need to though, staring at the bottle again after gulping down the shot, and even though she doesn’t even know her name, Dinah suddenly feels bad for her.

The group of celebrating people is laughing and having fun, a stark contrast to the woman sitting quietly at the bar and studying her bottle; and even though this is only the second evening she’s come to the bar, Dinah suddenly just  _ knows _ that this is not the first evening she spends alone in some watering hole. 

_ Maybe she does look for company and just doesn’t know how _ , Dinah ponders, glancing at her again,  _ if she’d just wanted to get drunk, she could do that at home, too, no need to go to a bar and pay more for drinks she can get way cheaper at the grocery store. _

This seems like sound logic to her, and she decides that there’s only one way to find out if she’s right; and so, she slowly moves closer to the woman, until she can talk to her without having to raise her voice, the stranger looking at her when she does speak up, appearing mildly surprised at being spoken to.

“So”, Dinah says, gesturing vaguely at her drink combo, “you ever want to mix it up a bit, I’m told I mix great cocktails.”

“I’m good”, the woman replies, taking a sip of beer as if to underline her words, then staring at the bottle again, as if she wants to learn the list of ingredients by heart; it’s a clear dismissal, and Dinah has to struggle for a moment to keep a straight face, then manages another smile, even though the stranger still isn’t looking at her.

“Well, the offer stands”, she says, earning a brief look this time, “I’m working on some recipes of my own, and I’m always looking for guinea pigs. It’d be on the house, too, and a free shot of vodka in case the experimental cocktail makes you sick.”

This earns her a raised eyebrow, a stronger reaction than she has gotten from the woman so far; she gives her another smile, earning a vague noise in reply, neither an agreement, nor a disagreement, but it is some sort of response.

“Excuse me miss!” one of the men of the celebrating group calls out to her, and she goes to see what they need; and when she gets done taking their orders and turns back to the bar, the woman is gone, her heart sinking as she wonders if this is her fault, if she has read the situation wrong and has scared her off without even having had the chance to learn her name.

* * *

In the next day, Dinah works her second job, waitressing for a catering company whenever they need her to; she has the evening off thanks to that, and for once gets to bed somewhat early, feet aching after a day of running around and serving food and drinks in high heels, at the bar, she can at least wear flats if she wants to and has chances to sit down.

As it is though, she can’t afford to quit the catering job, they don’t need her nearly as often as she would have liked, but it does add some extra money to her tight budget, and makes getting by a bit easier.

And it allows her to slip the kid living in her building a ten or a twenty every now and then; she doesn’t know much about the teenager, only that her name is Cassandra, that she’s been moved from foster home to foster home for the past few years, and that she likes to pick pockets, and even though Dinah keeps telling her not to do this, she can’t find it in her heart to really discourage her.

She knows what it’s like to go hungry after all, and she figures that Cassandra picks her targets well, and wouldn’t take from someone who’d be devastated at the loss of some cash, but from people who can handle it, even if it might annoy them. 

Still, she figures that each dollar she gives the kid is a chance to keep her out of jail, and so she keeps slipping her money whenever she runs into her; the catering people at least tipped her nicely this time, and so she has some cash to spare which she puts aside to discreetly hand to Cassandra the next time she’ll see her.

Knowing she’d have to work again in the evening, Dinah sleeps in after the day at her catering job, getting some sorely needed rest; she spends the time until her shift starts with running errands and doing chores, and as she does so, her mind wanders to the strange woman from the bar several times, and she finds herself wondering if she might come back to the bar after all. 

Part of her wishes she would, she’s still intrigued by her - the fact that she’s not exactly unattractive certainly helps with that - and she wants to know what is going on behind those saddened eyes; another, more rational part tells her to not be ridiculous though, she doesn’t even know that person’s name, so thinking about her so much is a waste of time and she’s not a teenager with a crush anymore.

It doesn’t matter how often she tells herself this though, her thoughts keep straying, and by the time her shift at the bar begins, she can’t wait to see if the woman will come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helena, don't be so rude. Tsk tsk.


	3. Chapter 3

Thursday is always more busy than Monday or Tuesday, so Dinah is fairly busy for the first two hours; still she finds time to glance at the door every time it opens, and every time it’s not the strange woman who enters, her heart sinks a bit, no matter how much she scolds herself for it.

Finally, two and a half hours into her shift, Dinah tells herself to give up on it, that she’s been too rash and has scared the woman away for good; and as if that has been some sort of cue, the door opens and in she comes, her limp a bit more pronounced that day and the way she leans on her cane a bit heavier than the last time Dinah has seen her, but she’s here, and Dinah finds herself happier at this than she probably should have been.

She sits at the far end of the bar again, but this time, she shoots Dinah a brief look as she does so; the barkeep catches her eye and smiles at her as she moves over to her, stopping in front of her, giving her best to not sound too overjoyed at her reappearance when she greets her.

“Hey”, she says, glad that this time, the woman doesn’t look away again immediately, “hello. Beer and vodka?”

“I think… I’d like one of those cocktails today”, the woman mumbles in response, a peace offering, perhaps, and one Dinah is more than glad to accept, “what do you recommend…?”

“Well, you like vodka”, Dinah ponders out loud, “so I’d suggest a Screwdriver, if you like orange juice, as well. We also have Pearl Harbor, that’s with pineapple and green melon liqueur, or a Hairy Navel.”

“A what now”, the woman says at the last one, and Dinah snickers at her stunned look before she explains that it’s with peach and that the “hairy” comes from that; the woman doesn’t look convinced though, and orders a Screwdriver after a moment of thinking about it, Dinah feeling absurdly happy when she goes to prepare it.

_ God, get a hold of yourself _ , she scolds herself as she pours and mixes,  _ she’s just ordering a cocktail. Mixing her drinking habits up a bit. You still don’t even know her name. … but maybe that can be changed. _

“There you go”, she says as she puts the drink down in front of the woman, “I hope you’ll like it, but I’m sure you will, cause I’m very good at mixing drinks. I keep telling my boss she should put up a sign saying  _ Dinah Lance, Cocktail Mixer of the Month _ , but she refuses.”

She congratulates herself on the subtle way of working her name into the conversation, and hopes it will work the way she wants it to; and apparently, it does, as the woman’s mouth twitches, almost a smile, her fingers toying with her glass as she responds.

“Well, if I like this, I’ll tell your boss I support this idea”, she says, “and, um, also… I’m Helena. Since you just told me your name.”

“Pleasure”, Dinah says with a bright smile, glad that she now knows the woman’s name and doesn’t have to refer to her simply as “the woman” anymore; Helena doesn’t smile back, but just shrugs, and then another guest calls out and demands Dinah’s attention, and even though this is her job and the reason why she is here, she briefly feels annoyed.

At least this time, when she gets done giving the guy his drink, Helena is still there and hasn’t snuck out again; she’s drinking the cocktail, Dinah notes, and staring at the wooden bartop in front of her, once again not looking around, the way anyone else alone at a bar might, and once again Dinah finds herself wondering what she’s thinking about.

She knows better than to outright ask, trying to find a safe topic to bring up as she moves back to where Helena is sitting; the taller woman looks up at her as she approaches, the glass half empty, and Dinah finds herself somewhat impressed at how fast Helena has drank that down.

On the other hand, that gives her a safe topic to talk about, and she smiles as she gestures at the glass, comfortably leaning onto the bar as she speaks up, glad when once again, Helena doesn’t look away immediately again.

“So I take it you like the drink?” Dinah says, gesturing at the glass; Helena nods, then takes another sip as if to prove it, and Dinah smiles proudly, glad that she has suggested something the other woman likes.

“I do”, she then confirms, “it’s not too sweet, that is a bonus. But you don’t have to do that, you know.”

“Do what”, Dinah says, blinking as she truly has no idea what Helena means; the other woman sighs in reply, then shrugs, sounding bitter when she responds, gesturing vaguely at herself and at their surroundings.

“Waste your time speaking to the sad crippled sack at your bar”, she then says, and Dinah can only stare at her, “I know it’s part of your job, but I imagine you have other, more important things to do.”

“As a matter of fact, I don’t”, Dinah replies, hoping these are the right words, sensing that Helena might truly be gone forever if she says the wrong thing now, “and I enjoy talking to you, job or not.”

Helena looks doubtful, but doesn’t try to protest, just toying with her glass again - before she brings it to her mouth and empties it with a few big gulps, Dinah feeling worried again as she quite sure that Helena will get up and leave now, and probably never come back.

She’s quite relieved when the taller woman holds the glass out to her and asks for a refill instead, feeling that she has chosen the right words and that she just has taken an important step - even though she doesn’t know where this path might lead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, someone give Helena a hug (I say, as I'm being mean to her...)


	4. Chapter 4

_ Man, this woman must have one of the highest tolerances I have ever seen _ , Dinah ponders quite a while later, watching how Helena comes to her feet after another two Screwdrivers; anyone else she knows would be swaying a bit on their feet after drinking four cocktails in a relatively short amount of time, or would have spoken with a slur, but Helena sounds perfectly sober when she says goodbye for the evening, and when she walks towards the door, her limp is there, but not worse than it has been when she’s entered earlier.

Renee, owner of the bar and Dinah’s boss, enters just as Helena leaves, and turns to look after her, frowning a bit; she seems to shrug off whatever has caused this reaction though and makes her way to the bar, waving Hi to Dinah before she sits down and asks her how’s it going.

“Quite good”, Dinah lets her know, opening a beer and handing it to her without waiting for her to ask, “it’s not as slow as it was on Monday, thank goodness. Monday was boring.”

“All the tables and glasses were amazingly clean though, so that was good for me”, Renee tells her, earning a snort from the younger woman, “and hey, question, that lady who just left? With the cane? Is she new?”

“Yeah”, Dinah tells her, wondering what this is about as normally, Renee doesn’t make a habit of asking about patrons like that, “and let me tell you, she could drink most of the guys here under the table, she’s had four Screwdrivers in like two hours and walked out like she just had water.”

“Huh”, Renee lets out, “weird, she seemed familiar, but if you say she’s new... “

“Showed up the first time on Monday”, Dinah tells her, then makes a face, not liking the thought which has hit her, “but maybe you know her from… you know, before?”

“No”, Renee denies at once, shaking her head, to Dinah’s relief, “quite sure it’s not that. If I had arrested her at some point, she wouldn’t just look familiar, I’d know it for sure.”

Dinah is relieved to hear that, but still a bit worried - that Renee hasn’t arrested Helena when she still has been a cop doesn’t mean that the woman isn’t involved in something shady, sadly a quite real possibility if she seems familiar to Renee.

“Maybe she just has one of those faces, you know”, she says out loud, in an attempt to push those unpleasant thoughts aside, “so she looks familiar to a lot of people.”

“Yeah, maybe”, Renee says, not quite sounding as if she believes it, but she changes the topic a moment later, asking Dinah if she already knows about any catering jobs in the following week, making a face as she explains why she wants to know.

“Harley needs Wednesday off”, she let the younger woman know, “if you can’t take over, that’s okay, too, but I figured I’d ask you, before I do the shift myself.”

_ I know you can need the cash _ , she doesn’t say out loud, and Dinah is grateful for this bit of tact from the usually quite blunt woman; it’s true, she can need the cash, and while she doesn’t know if she might have to work during the day on Wednesday, she tells Renee she can do it, figuring she’ll be able to handle it, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d function on just a few hours of sleep.

“Thank you”, Renee sighs, “cause I got a shitton of paperwork to do, and working the shift here won’t help with that. And I’ll talk to Harley again, I know you don’t mind taking over, but she can’t drop shifts all the time like that.”

“It’s fine”, Dinah reassures her, earning a brief, but grateful smile; then, she has guests to take care of, and Renee heads to the back room of the bar to get some work done there, the rest of the night flying by as they both are kept busy until it’s time to close up for the night.

* * *

Friday and Saturday are always the busiest days of the week, and so, there’s always two of them working the bar those days; Dinah has both Friday and Saturday, not minding it much though as this will fatten her paycheck up nicely, and the tips are better on the weekend, too, especially once people have had a certain amount to drink.

On Friday, the bar is packed an hour after opening already, Dinah sharing the shift with Harley, who zooms around on her roller skates, serving drinks; at first, Renee has tried to stop her from doing that, has claimed it is dangerous and she’ll drop half the drinks, but she quickly has learned that people find the skating waitress quite fascinating, and when she’s realized that Harley is quite good at skating, weaving through the crowd without dropping anything, she’s relented, if only so the novelty of a waitress on skates will bring in more people. 

Thanks to Harley and her skill and speed on skates, Dinah can focus on work behind the bar, and doesn’t need to serve the tables, as well; and so, she notices immediately when Helena shows up, the taller woman looking taken aback at how full the place is, moving carefully as she approaches the bar.

Dinah feels bad for her when she realizes that all the seats are taken, not just at the bar, but at the tables, as well; the limp seems a bit better today, but she still figures it can’t be pleasant to stand on that leg for long, and finds herself wondering what has happened to Helena, but figuring that they don’t know each other well enough for her to just ask. 

Helena reaches the bar and leans onto it somewhat heavily, Dinah giving a little wave as she moves closer; she greets her and asks her what she can get her, oddly glad when Helena orders a Screwdriver, instead of the beer-and-shot combo she’d had her first few times.

“Coming right up”, Dinah says, silently hoping that one of the people sitting at the bar will leave soon, so Helena can get the seat; for the moment, the taller woman looks well enough, standing there with the bar for support, but Dinah still worries, and wants her to enjoy her time at the bar and not be in pain from standing for too long.

“There you go”, she says as she puts the drink down in front of her, “how’re you doing?”

Helena just shrugs as she pays, once again tipping generously, then glances around the bar, taking in the crowd, before her gaze returns to Dinah, and she has to raise her voice a bit to be heard over the general noise of the other guests so Dinah can understand her when she speaks up.

“Quite packed tonight, huh”, she says, and Dinah nods, then has to turn away as some guys have come up to the bar to order drinks; and just when she turns back to Helena, Harley skates past her, hollering “Coming through!”, and she catches the flabbergasted look on the tall woman’s face as she watches Harley go by, bursting out laughing before she can stop herself.

“I’m sorry”, she says when Helena looks at her again, not wanting to offend her, “but the look on your face right now was just too… good. No worries, Harley is very good at this, and it does make our bar somewhat special. The skating waitress.”

“I’ll say”, Helena mumbles, more into her drink than at Dinah, but the barkeep snickers again; and after a moment, to her amazement, Helena smiles as well, just a tiny smile and barely there for a second, but Dinah has seen it, and once again feels as if she’s taken another important step on this strange path she has found herself on with the taller woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I quite enjoyed the idea of Harley waitressing on skates, even though I'm fairly certain many, many glasses would die.


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks go by, and Helena is there every evening, ordering Screwdrivers every time now; she’s also there when Dinah has the night off - Dinah has asked Harley if she’s been there, and got teased mercilessly for her interest - but from what Harley has told her, she’s only stayed for one drink on those nights, apparently only staying longer when Dinah is behind the bar.

Dinah figures that this is a good sign, that her interest isn’t one-sided, and she starts thinking about making said interest more clear to the taller woman as time goes by, especially now that Helena seems to be opening up to her a bit.

She doesn’t reveal anything personal when they talk, but they do talk more whenever Dinah has the time to; they speak about safe topics, movies and books and music, but they talk, and Dinah figures that this is another good sign. 

She even convinces Helena one evening to try one of the cocktail recipes she has come up with, and is quite pleased when Helena declares she likes it, a bit miffed though that Renee isn’t there that evening to witness the positive result of her taste test.

“Well, next time she’s here, I can tell her it was good”, Helena offers, earning a bright smile and a nod from the barkeep; this makes Dinah think back to Renee claiming that Helena looks familiar, but her boss has seen the other woman a few times since then, and hasn’t remembered anything unpleasant, so Dinah figures that it’s alright.

“Please do that”, she says happily, Helena shrugging, then nodding before she finishes her drink; Dinah takes the empty glass from her and gives her a questioning look, the taller woman nodding in response, and Dinah goes to mix her another drink, not one of her own creations this time, feeling Helena’s eyes on her back as she does so.

She finishes the drink and hands it to her, thanking her for the nice tip when she pays; and just when Helena takes the first sip, the door opens and Cassandra steps inside, of all people, glancing around as she hurries to the bar, Dinah staring at her in disbelief, aware that the girl should know better than to show up at a place like this.

“Cass”, she says, Helena watching the scene unfold with mild interest, toying with her glass again, “what are you doing here? You know you’re not supposed to come here, you’re underage!”

“I knoooow”, Cassandra almost whines, “but they’re yelling at each other again, I knew you’re not home tonight and someone pissed in the stairwell so it stinks, I didn’t want to stay there.”

“You’re lucky Renee’s not here”, Dinah grumbles in response, the teenager fidgeting a bit as she waits to see where this will lead, “come here, you can stay in the backroom, nobody will notice you there.”

“Thank you”, Cassandra sighs, moving around the bar and vanishing in said backroom; Dinah shakes her head while Helena takes a sip of her drink, clearly interested in what is going on, but not asking, something Dinah gives her credit for, a sigh of her own escaping as she picks up a random glass and starts cleaning it, just so her hands will have something to do.

“Cass lives in my building”, she explains after a moment, figuring she can give that much away, “with foster parents. They’re drunk assholes and fight all the time, she hangs out with me when I’m home, but, well…”

“Ah”, Helena lets out, “that’s… very nice of you.”

Dinah just shrugs, it probably is, but it’s also the decent and right thing to do; it earns her another one of Helena’s rare smiles though, and that makes her happy, she doesn’t manage to make the other woman smile often and is glad every time it happens.

“Well, you know”, she says lightly, her tone taking some of the weight from what she reveals next, “I’ve been where she is now, and I had no one to look out for me. So… I guess I want to make sure she at least has a friend around.”

Helena just nods, but Dinah takes note of how her grip on the glass tightens for a second; whatever emotion she’s experiencing though, it doesn’t show through her face, and when she speaks up, her voice is perfectly neutral again, not giving anything away.

“You’re a good person”, she tells Dinah, and to her own amazement, Dinah feels her cheeks heat up, not quite used to being told such things so bluntly; she clears her throat, feeling oddly awkward all at once, and is almost glad when someone calls out to her from one of the tables, giving her something to do.

Once again, she feels Helena’s eyes on her as she gets the order and prepares the drinks; and when she glances up and their eyes meet, she gets another small smile, and her heart skips a bit as she smiles back, not quite sure why, but feeling as if Helena is looking at her in a different light now, and quite certain that it’s a good one.

* * *

Cass leaves shortly before midnight, experience having shown that at this point, her foster parents are probably passed out drunk and won’t notice her coming back; and shortly after the teenager has walked out, with another twenty from Dinah in her pocket, Helena leaves, as well, making Dinah smile by adding “see you tomorrow” after having said goodbye.

Helena has barely been out the door for two minutes when Cassandra comes hurrying back inside, unperturbed by the strict look Dinah shoots her at her unexpected return.

“Dinah, this is important, you won’t believe this”, she says, the barkeep crossing her arms over her chest as she tells her that this better be good, making her nod enthusiastically.

“That lady who was sitting here?” she then says, gesturing at the seat Helena had been using, “I just saw her leave. And she got into the fanciest limousine I have ever seen, really, it was like something out of a movie. Some guy even held the door open for her!”

“Oh”, Dinah lets out, somewhat surprised by this - judging from how well Helena has been tipping, and from the drinks she’s consumed, Dinah figured that she’s not exactly struggling financially, but a limousine is quite far from “doing okay with money”, “are you sure it was her?”

“Of course I’m sure”, Cassandra huffs, “it was totally her. You think she’s loaded?”

“Probably, if she rides in a limo”, Dinah ponders, then gives her another strict look, “but don’t you dare pick her pocket now. We don’t steal from our friends.”

Cassandra makes a face, but doesn’t protest, to Dinah’s relief; instead, she just sighs, then tells the barkeep she’ll head home and that she’ll see her soon.

“Take care”, Dinah says, and Cassandra rolls her eyes, then nods before she heads out; watching her go, Dinah thinks about what she just has been told, and wonders why a woman with enough money to afford a limousine would hang out in a bar like this, the mystery surrounding Helena having gotten a bit bigger again, and she hopes she will get some answers soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rode a limousine once for my 30th birthday. We drove around town, blasted metal and drank beer, it was great :D


	6. Chapter 6

In the next day, the catering company has hired Dinah to man the buffet at some charity event, comparatively easy work as she won’t have to run around all day in her high heels; she’ll just have to make sure no platter is ever empty, and if she’s lucky, she’ll get to bring home some leftovers.

The company provides her with a uniform for the job, thankfully a classy one with black slacks, a white blouse and a black gilet; she ties her hair back, after having been told once that, when open, it’s “a bit too in your face”, a criticism which has annoyed her, but she needs the job, and so talking back isn’t an option.

She arrives early, and helps set up the buffet, just to have something to do; and then, as the event starts, and people start arriving, all she has to do is stand there, smile politely, answer questions about the food and go get a fresh platter every now and then. 

It’s not very exciting work, and some of the wealthy guests look at her as if she’s something they find stuck to the bottom of their shoe, but Dinah doesn’t let this bother her, keeping the fake smile up with no troubles anymore at this point, even when she hears some white-haired guy make a rather unpleasant comment about her as they turn away from the buffet, plates in hand.

_ Choke on that salmon toast, jerk _ , Dinah things to herself, still smiling, and just then, a regular and oddly familiar  _ clack… clack… _ sound reaches her ears, her eyes briefly widening when she looks over automatically and sees Helena approach.

_ Okay, she’s definitely loaded if she shows up at an event like this _ , Dinah realizes, momentarily not knowing how to act; she wants to smile, and wave, but these are people Helena knows, and she finds herself wondering if the taller woman will be comfortable seen socializing with the buffet lady, she knows that appearance is everything in such circles and even though Helena doesn’t seem like the kind of person to care much about these things, Dinah might be proven wrong about these assumptions any moment now.

_ She looks great _ , she randomly thinks to herself, and Helena does, wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath; and just as Dinah realizes this, the other woman smiles, and nods a greeting, moving closer to her, apparently not caring when those who stand close enough to hear give her odd looks at the friendly way she greets Dinah.

“Dinah, hi”, she says, the barkeep smiling back at her, “surprised to see you here. New job?”

“Second job”, Dinah corrects her, and Helena lets out an “ah”, glaring at a woman when she inches closer as if to eavesdrop, Dinah finding herself amused when the lady blushes and quickly scurries away. 

“Well, um, that’s sort of good, for me”, Helena tells her, not really appearing interested in the food, and that makes Dinah wonder if she’s come over just to talk her, which would probably cause even more of a stir once people would realize it, “cause you’re my favourite barkeep. Just so you know.”

“Aw”, Dinah lets out, earning a small smile from the other woman, “that’s sweet. And no worries, not planning to stop there any time soon.”

“Good”, Helena says, then seems to remember that unlike herself, Dinah isn’t here for socializing, as she clears her throat, then vaguely gestures at the buffet, suddenly looking adorably sheepish when she continues.

“Well, I better let you get back to work”, she says, and even though Dinah would have loved to chat a bit longer, she makes herself nod, not wanting to get in trouble, “wouldn’t want to cause trouble for you. I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, see you”, Dinah says with a smile, giddy when Helena smiles back at her, then walks away again, Dinah noting that she hasn’t taken any food, but does help herself to a glass of champagne when a waiter with a tray full of them walks past her.

For the rest of her shift, Dinah keeps spotting her, slowly walking through the room, talking to some people, but mostly keeping to herself; and every now and then, their eyes meet, and Dinah smiles each time they do, a real, genuine smile, not her fake polite one, and each time Helena smiles back, it makes her heart soar.

She realizes that this might mean trouble, but can’t be bothered to be worried about it, somehow just sure that everything will work out fine.

* * *

Several hours later, Dinah’s good mood has evaporated, and her car is to blame, because it just won’t start.

“Fuck”, she curses under her breath as she tries again, the engine just letting out a sort of sad whining noise instead of stuttering to life, “come on, don’t do this to me. Shit, come on!”

It’s too far to walk home, she knows, and if she takes a cab, she’ll spend what little extra money she has earned tonight; frustrated, she slams one hand down onto the steering wheel, and a moment later, she jumps as someone knocks her window, staring in shock, which turns into surprise when she sees it’s Helena standing next to her car.

She rolls the window down, momentarily absurdly glad that the car is old enough to let her do this; Helena looks at her in concern, and for a moment, Dinah feels oddly exposed, so far, she’s been the confident bartender and the professional catering employee to the taller woman, not the struggling woman with a piece of junk car that just won’t start.

“Car trouble?” Helena pinpoints the problem at once, only making Dinah’s dismay grow; she sighs, then nods, knowing it’d make no sense to deny it, only to be surprised again when Helena takes a step back from the car so she can get out of it.

“Come on”, she says, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world, “I’ll give you a ride.”

“Helena, no”, Dinah protests, even though the offer is very tempting, “that’s like halfway across town, way out of your way.”

Helena just shrugs, then points out that “halfway across town” also means “too far to walk”; and so, Dinah gives in after a moment, pulling the key from the ignition before she gets out of the car.

“I’ll need to get that towed”, she sighs, with an unhappy look at the vehicle; Helena lets out a vaguely sympathetic noise, then leads the way to the limousine waiting a few feet away, the driver - a bald man who appears a good number of years older than Helena - getting out when he sees them approach and opening the door, and if he finds it weird that Helena is giving one of the catering workers a ride, he doesn’t let it show.

“Where to?” he asks once they both have gotten comfortable in the roomy back; Dinah gives him her address in response, and he nods and starts driving, Dinah glancing around the limousine as it gets moving, quite impressed by it.

“You know”, she says, looking at Helena, the taller woman sitting facing her, her cane between her knees and her hands resting on it, “this is the first time I’m riding a limo. Have to say, the seats really are quite comfy.”

“Glad to hear you like it”, Helena says, then shrugs, “it’s a way to get around. Especially since I don’t… can’t drive.”

She vaguely gestures at her leg, then falls silent, looking uncomfortable all at once, and Dinah wonders if she has revealed more than she’s wanted to now; not wanting to make her feel even worse, she thus changes the topic, not very elegantly, but it works, by asking her if the limo has one of those fancy glass panel thingies which she can let slide up to hide from the driver.

“Oh yeah”, Helena says, with a brief grateful look at her, “I hardly ever use it though. No need to hide from Sal on a regular day, you know.”

“So no steamy make-out sessions with young guys back here?” Dinah wants to know, smirking, and laughing when Helena shudders theatrically and says “God, no”; and after a moment, the taller woman smiles as well, and Dinah suddenly feels daring, reaching out and grasping her hand, unable to hold back a giddy smile when Helena returns the gesture, once again feeling as if an important step has been taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helena, her driver and her limo to the rescue!


	7. Chapter 7

When Dinah wakes in the next morning, she feels relaxed and good, for a few moments - until she remembers that her car is still at the event location, and that she needs to use the time until her shift at the bar to have it towed and hopefully fixed, the relaxed feeling evaporating as she groans to herself in dismay.

_Well, at least you got to ride in a limo_ , she thinks to herself as she gets out of bed and makes her way to the shower, _that was nice. Nice of Helena to do it and nice to spend some extra time with her._

She thinks back to how it has felt to feel Helena’s fingers curl around hers, and wonders if she’ll have a chance to repeat that experience as she gets done in the bathroom, then gets dressed for the day; she tries to remember if Harley or Renee have time and maybe can drive her to the event hall, if not, she’ll have to take the bus, and as she walks down the stairs, she pulls out her wallet and checks to make sure she has enough cash for that.

As she tucks it away again, she steps out of the building, and freezes - because her car is parked right in front of it, and all Dinah can do for a moment is stand and stare.

“What the Hell?” she then whispers to herself, moving closer to the car, slowly, as if it might vanish or maybe explode; this lets her spot the envelope beneath one of the windshield wipers, and she feels curious now, pulling it out and opening it, the envelope holding a single folded sheet of paper.

Eager to find out what it says, Dinah pulls it out and unfolds it; it’s just a few handwritten lines, in a rather scrawly handwriting, but the words and the signature are enough to make her smile.

_Took the liberty of having it fixed. Guy said it should be good as new, let me know if not so I can yell at him._

_\- Helena_

“Huh”, Dinah lets out, touched, folding the piece of paper up again and putting it into her bag; she finds herself wondering if Helena has nothing better to do in her free time then give her a ride in her limousine _and_ have her car fixed afterwards, in the middle of the night no less, then shrugs it off and decides to just be happy and grateful, knowing her life would have gotten much more difficult without a car.

She makes a mental note to ask Helena how much she owes her for this, then decides to take the car for a test drive, just to be on the safe side; and it turns out that the guy has done a good job, the engine roaring to life at once, without the stuttering Dinah has gotten used to the last few years.

“Hell yeah”, she mumbles to herself, stepping down onto the gas pedal; she drives once around the block, and the car runs smoothly, better than it has in years, the barkeep unable to stop grinning when she finally parks it again.

She looks forward to a free afternoon now, and to her shift at the bar, hoping Helena will be there again so she can thank her, a big worry lifted off her shoulders from one moment to the next.

* * *

Helena does show up at the bar again, an hour after opening; it’s somewhat calm still, only a few other guests there, and Dinah beams at her the second she steps through the door, greeting her with a wave and a bright “Hi!”, and earning one of the woman’s rare smiles in response.

“Thank you so much for taking care of my car last night”, Dinah says the moment Helena has sat down at the bar, already reaching for her bag to get her wallet, “how much do I owe you for that?”

“Oh, um”, Helena lets out, clearly not having expected that, “nothing…? You don’t have to pay for that.”

Dinah’s eyes narrow, and Helena knows at once she has said the wrong thing, an assumption which is confirmed when the barkeep speaks up again, voice hard now, a tone she’s never heard from her before.

“What are you doing”, she demands to know, and Helena can only blink, “you think I’m some sort of charity case? Because I work two jobs and drive a piece of junk car?”

“No”, Helena manages to throw in, but Dinah doesn’t want to hear it, suddenly angry, even though part of her knows that the other woman probably just meant well, she can’t stop herself, her anger burning too bright to keep it down.

“I don’t need your money”, she snaps, and Helena actually flinches, as if she’d struck her, “is that why you come here, slumming it in this bar? So you can find some poor sods who are struggling and feel good about yourself when you throw them a few crumbs?”

Helena is blinking rapidly now, but not saying anything… and all at once, Dinah realizes why, and she freezes, mortified at how she has lashed out, her anger evaporating from one moment to the next when she realizes that the other woman is struggling not to cry.

“Helena”, she starts, she wants to apologize, she _has_ to, but already while she says her name, Helena is getting up from the chair, not looking at her anymore now, gripping her cane so tight that her knuckles are white as she turns away from her.

“Helena, wait”, Dinah tries again, while the taller woman starts towards the door, as fast as it’s possible for her; and even though she’s still slower than Dinah herself, she’s made it to the door and stepped outside by the time Dinah has made her way around the bar and follows her.

She hurries through the room, ignoring a guest calling out to her, and bursts through the door just in time to see Helena get into the limousine, the driver - the same guy from the previous time, Dinah realizes, remembering that Helena has called him Sal when they spoke about the nifty sliding glass panels - closing the door and turning to get into the car himself.

“Wait!” Dinah calls out to him, and he pauses, then looks at her, and the hard look he shoots her shows her quite clearly that he knows very well who’s responsible for the upset state of his boss.

“Wait, please, I need to talk to her”, she still tries, jogging over to where he is standing; he doesn’t do her the favour of opening the door again though, just giving her another hard look, his voice cold when he replies.

“Look, lady”, he says, and she nearly takes a step back at his glare, “I don’t know what you said to her, but I think you’ve said more than enough. Have a good day.”

And with that, he gets into the car, and slams the door shut, a bit harder than perhaps necessary; Dinah takes a step back as he starts the engine, feeling helpless and like an asshole now, but all she can do is watch how the limousine drives off, the tinted windows not even letting her catch another glimpse of Helena.

She can’t believe how badly she has fucked up, and she has no idea how to make this better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the comments on how cute they are on chapter 6, I go and do this. I feel bad now. Sorry… ^^;


	8. Chapter 8

Renee arrives at the bar to check on business half an hour after Helena’s hasty exit, and she finds Dinah standing at the bar, looking glum; this is so rare that it takes her aback, and she frowns as she moves to her side, giving her a concerned look, one Dinah seems not to notice though, looking at one of the seats as if she could make something - or perhaps, someone - magically appear there if she’d just stare hard enough.

“What are you so depressed about”, Renee wants to know, and Dinah sighs, finally facing her; Renee has known her for a while now, but has never seen her so desolate, and her mind immediately goes through a myriad of unpleasant possibilities.

“Wait”, she says before Dinah can actually answer her question, “it’s not the kid, is it? Is she okay?”

“Cass is fine”, Dinah mumbles, toying with a random napkin just to keep her hands busy, “I fucked up. Big time.”

“What happened”, Renee asks, and Dinah sighs again, taking a moment to collect her thoughts, knowing that no matter how she tells that tale, she’ll come out looking like an asshole, because she’s behaved like one and there’s no way to make it sound nice.

“I had a catering job yesterday”, she decides to start at the beginning, “at some charity event, you know, rich people telling each other how amazing they are for coughing up a few grand. Helena was there, too.”

Renee raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything; Dinah holds back another sigh, then continues, her fiddling with the napkin intensifying as she talks.

“My car wouldn’t start, when the job was done”, she goes on, “and Helena happened to be there, and gave me a ride home in her limo. And when I went downstairs earlier today, with the idea to have my car picked up and fixed, it was there, in perfect working order. She’d had that done after dropping me off at home.”

“Oh wow”, Renee says, raising an eyebrow, “in the middle of the night? That girl must like you.”

“And that is why I fucked up”, Dinah sighs, “cause she came here again, tonight. And I asked her what I owe her for fixing my car, and she said nothing and… I don’t know, I just lashed out at her, as if she’s pulling some rich people bullshit when I know she’s not like that, and asked her if she’s slumming it here to find some poor sods she can help out with her wads of cash to feel good about herself. God, you should have seen the look on her face.”

“Shit”, Renee says feelingly, and Dinah lets out a groan, the napkin falling victim to her own upset state now as she starts tearing it into little strips, “I mean, I get where you’re coming from… but harsh. And also, how dare you say coming here is slumming it.”

“It is for her”, Dinah points out, “but I guess she’s done with that now, anyway, she looked as if I’d smacked her in the face when she left. And her driver wouldn’t let me to talk to her, he snapped at me and drove off.”

“Holy shit!” Renee suddenly almost shouts, making Dinah jump and stare at her, as this is certainly not the reaction she has been prepared for, “Bertinelli! That’s why she seemed familiar!”

“What”, Dinah says, confused now, dropping the sad remains of the napkin, “what are you talking about, what’s a Bertinelli?”

“That’s your friend’s last name”, Renee said, only confusing Dinah further, “oh, wait, you are probably too young to remember, you must have been like five when it happened. I just remembered when you talked of charity events and limousines. They are… were… one of the richest families in Gotham, but they all died during some horrible car accident. Well… almost all of them.”

“What”, Dinah says again, feeling sick all of a sudden, “you’re telling me I yelled at one of the richest women in Gotham? Who lost her whole family in a car crash?”

“And got her leg permanently fucked up, too”, Renee adds, then realizes this might not have been the most tactful thing to say when Dinah looks as if she’ll throw up any moment now.

“I have to make this right”, the barkeep decides a second later, “at least tell her that I’m sorry and that it was wrong to say these things to her… Shit, I don’t even know where she lives. And I don’t have her phone number.”

“Probably in her family’s mansion”, Renee comments, “but I can find out for you. Give me ten minutes, then I can tell you for sure.”

“Thank you”, Dinah sighs, throwing what is left of the napkin into the trash; she’s still upset, but she has a job to do, and while Renee is sympathetic to her plight, this is her business, and she won’t be very understanding if it suffers due to her behaviour.

So, while Renee goes to find out the information she wants, Dinah goes back to work, taking orders and cleaning glasses; and each time she looks at the empty barstool where Helena has been sitting an hour ago, her heart clenches up.

Every time she looks at the chair, she remembers the way Helena has looked when she has been snapping at her, and she feels worse every time; still she keeps her polite fake smile on whenever a guest comes up to the bar, not sure if she should be glad about the lack of business as it means she doesn’t have to fake it too much, or annoyed because more work would have served as a good distraction from how she has messed up.

Renee comes back out of her little backroom and hands her a slip of paper, telling her it has Helena’s address; she warns her though that she can’t just walk up to the door and knock, because while Helena herself might not be pulling rich people bullshit, her house had been built by people who were fond of it, and had a massive gate which wouldn’t open to just everyone.

“I still have to try”, Dinah sighs as she takes the paper, “thank you. I really appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome”, Renee tells her, “now, let’s get back to work, and tomorrow, you can go and make this right with your friend.”

Dinah nods again, carefully tucking the piece of paper into her wallet, not wanting to lose it - she’s looked at it, and memorized the address, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

She tries her best to focus on her work for the rest of the evening, but already tries to figure out what she will say, all too aware that she might only have one chance to make it right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Knowing a former cop certainly is helpful when needing to find the person you've been rude to, Dinah.   
> :D


	9. Chapter 9

In the next morning, Dinah puts on the nicest clothes she owns - she’ll stick out like a sore thumb anyway at the part of town where Helena lives, but she still wants to make an effort - then gets into her car and tells herself that she can do this; she’s nervous, going over what she wants to say in her head again as she drives, and ignoring the very real possibility that she might not even get to talk to Helena in the first place.

The houses get nicer as she drives, and bigger, and with each one she passes, Dinah feels more out of place; and when she finally stops at the address Renee has found for her, it feels almost surreal, cause it’s the biggest house of them all, and it’s clear that a lot of money has gone into building it.

There’s a gate, like Renee has told her, and an intercom built into the wall next to it; she drives up to the gate, then gets out and walks to the intercom, clearing her throat before she pushes the button.

“Bertinelli residence”, a metallic sounding voice comes from it not even ten seconds later, startling her; she clears her throat again, then tries her best to sound friendly when she replies, even though she feels weird, talking to a device screwed to the wall.

“Um, hi”, she says, “my name’s Dinah Lance, I’m here to see Helena?”

“Do you have an appointment?” the voice asks in response, and Dinah frowns, fairly certain that whoever is talking to her knows perfectly well she doesn’t, but she’s not willing to give up so fast.

“No”, she thus says, fighting the urge to fidget, not sure if there isn’t a camera somewhere filming her right this moment, “but I really need to see her, it’s important. Just tell her it’s Dinah from the bar? Please?”

“A minute”, the voice replies, and the intercom falls silent; feeling strangely exposed, Dinah can only stand there, and wait, and time ticks by, first one minute, then another.

_ They’re not even gonna ask her _ , she thinks to herself, fidgeting now after all,  _ just leave you standing out here until you give up and leave. Or they will tell her, but she’ll tell them she has no interest in talking to you. _

There’s a loud buzzing sound, and the gate starts to swing open, and Dinah jumps before she hurries to get back into her car, driving through the opening before whoever is doing this can change their mind and close the gate on her again.

She carefully drives up the ridiculously long driveway, and by the time she parks at the house, a woman is standing in the open door; she’s eying her car with distaste, but doesn’t say anything about it, just asks Dinah to follow her, the barkeep trying not to look around too openly as the lady leads her up the stairs to the first floor.

They walk down a hallway, past a bunch of closed doors, and Dinah is stunned at how big this place is; then, the woman stops in front of one of the doors, knocks it and says “Ms Bertinelli, your guest is here”, then turns and walks off, not bothering to wait for Helena to open the door.

“Come in”, Helena’s voice calls out from behind the wood a moment later, and Dinah takes in a deep breath, once again telling herself that she can do it, before she opens the door and steps into the room; it’s clearly Helena’s office, the woman sitting behind a massive desk with an expensive looking computer and a bunch of papers on it, looking at her with carefully guarded indifference as she steps into the room.

She tries to look indifferent, and does a good job of it, but Dinah can tell that she looks tired, there’s dark circles beneath her eyes, and she hasn’t been quick enough to hide the flicker of pain in her eyes when Dinah has opened the door and she has seen her.

“Hi”, Dinah figures that greeting her is a good start, once again fighting the urge to fidget nervously, “I, um… thanks for seeing me.”

Helena just lets out a vague noise in reply, doesn’t look away though; Dinah clears her throat, realizing that her whole practiced speech has gone out the window and briefly feeling mortified, but she can’t just stand here and say nothing, so she decides to just wing it.

“Look, I… I really want to apologize”, she starts, the way Helena keeps looking at her with that careful indifference not making this any easier, but she’s determined to go through with it, “so… I’m really sorry. What I said was uncalled for, and mean, and I know you’re not like that. It’s just… I’ve been on my own for so long, and yeah, it hasn’t always been easy, and… I was proud to make it on my own. I was proud that I never had to make use of any charity, but that has made it hard for me to accept help, too, I’m too proud for my own good sometimes and when you said I don’t owe you anything I just… I lashed out. That was wrong, and not your fault, and I’m sorry.”

She falls silent, and waits for a reaction; when there is none after a tense minute has ticked by, she clears her throat again, and now it’s her who finds it hard to look Helena in the eye as she has to realize that all her words have been for nothing, that Helena won’t or perhaps can’t forgive her.

“I’m really sorry”, she says again, “but I get it if you can’t forgive that. I just… I wanted to let you know. Thanks for your time.”

She turns away and reaches for the door, and just when she places her hand on the handle, Helena speaks up behind her, and Dinah freezes at once.

“Wait”, the taller woman says, Dinah turning to look at her again after a moment, glad that Helena has reacted after all; Helena holds her gaze again, and now it’s her turn to take in a deep breath before she speaks up again. 

“There’s a reason why I chose to go to your bar”, Helena says, a bit out of nowhere, but Dinah figures she’s going somewhere with this, so she doesn’t interrupt, “and it wasn’t slumming it, as you put it. At that place, chances were good nobody knew who I was. So nobody would give me those pitiful looks, or ask in that fake sympathetic tone how my leg is doing. And then I met you, and you were kind and friendly and I… I wanted to do something nice for you. But I don’t know how to do that without throwing money around, so that is what I did, and I’m sorry that offended you.”

“It didn’t”, Dinah reassures her, then sighs when Helena raises an eyebrow, “or, well, it shouldn’t have. And again, I’m really sorry for what I said, I didn’t mean any of that.”

“You did, in that moment”, Helena tells her, and Dinah blushes, she has forgotten how blunt the woman can be, “but it’s okay. I get where you’re coming from.”

“Thank God”, Dinah sighs at the forgiveness, only feeling better when the corners of Helena’s mouth twitch, “I felt so bad, Renee scolded me for being glum at the guests. I would have apologized right away yesterday, but your driver didn’t let me.”

“Sal has known me since I was four”, Helena tells her in response, “he’s… protective of me.”

“I noticed”, Dinah dryly says, and this time she does get a smile from the taller woman; she feels so relieved it’s unreal, and she finds herself smiling again as well, stepping closer to the desk again.

“Anyway”, she says, “I’m really glad we cleared this up. Cause I really like you, and I’d hate to lose this friendship.”

Helena looks a bit taken aback at being called a friend, but smiles and nods, and Dinah finds herself wondering how alone exactly the woman has been before she started coming to the bar; and before she can stop herself, and overthink it, she walks around the massive desk and wraps the surprised Helena up in a hug.

She feels her tense up for a moment, then the embrace is returned, and she can feel Helena relax in her arms, and suddenly she just knows that they are going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, all is well again. Now we gotta get them from friends to more. xD


	10. Chapter 10

“So”, Sal says in the evening of the same day as he settles into the driver’s seat, “where to? The bar?”

“The bar”, Helena confirms, not surprised when Sal does start driving, but glances at her through the rearview mirror, and she can read the concern in his eyes.

“You sure?” he says, “I mean, I know the lady was here and I assume she apologized, but are you still sure it’s a good idea?”

“Yes”, Helena says, glancing out the window as she idly plays with her cane, “she apologized, we cleared it all up. And I do like her.”

“I know you do”, Sal tells her, steering the limousine through the gate and onto the road, “or you wouldn’t have been so upset yesterday. But just so you know, if she makes you cry again, I will get very cranky.”

“She did not make me cry”, Helena protests at once, a total lie which Sal doesn’t even dignify with an answer, “and I tell you, it’s fine. It was… a misunderstanding. Sort of.”

“Mhm”, Sal lets out, keeping his gaze on the road now, “well, glad you feel better again, boss. And now at least we don’t need to worry anymore that she’s just nice to you to get at your money.”

“Sal!” Helena says, horrified, “I never worried about that! And you know I don’t like it when you call me boss.”

“Well, you didn’t worry, but I did”, Sal easily says, and Helena gapes at him, as this is the first time he brings this up, “you didn’t worry because you have a good and kind heart, but not all people are like that. And it’s my job to worry about such things when you don’t.”

“Well, Dinah has a good heart too”, Helena tells him, still shocked that he had been thinking such thoughts the whole time, “she wouldn’t have gone to the whole trouble of finding out where I live and coming here to apologize if she hadn’t, and I’ve seen before that she does. Have a good heart, I mean.”

“Yeah, after how she randomly showed up at your house, I believe that, too”, Sal says, and Helena is relieved, “like I said, we don’t need to worry about her just being after your money anymore. And, like I also said before this whole mess, it’s a good thing you didn’t go and buy her a new car.”

Helena colours at this, and shrugs, and Sal snickers quietly to himself; she retaliates by poking the back of his seat, and he yelps, then shoots her a dirty look through the rearview mirror, Helena looking back at him innocently. 

“My hand slipped”, she then says, and he rolls her eyes; then, he smiles though, and after a moment, Helena does the same, leaning back into the seat again and looking out the window at the city passing by as she relaxes.

She knows Sal means well, and that he only wants to look out for her; and she wonders if she’s really just kind and good-hearted, as he has said, or perhaps a bit naive, too, as the thought of Dinah befriending her for her money has never crossed her mind, but then, the barkeep never has let it show that she struggles financially at times, if Helena hadn’t happened to be there when her car had died, she never would have found out.

_ This is what everyone will think though _ , she ponders as Sal drives,  _ if you become her friend, or maybe more than that. They’ll think she’s with you because of your money. _

Personally, she doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks of her or of the friends she has; this has made her somewhat lonely in her circles, but she’d rather have no friends than fake ones, and even though it sometimes hurts, she knows she’s better off in the long run.

She worries it might bother Dinah though, if her reaction to the paid car repair is anything to go by, and she wonders if she should bring it up, how to bring it up and how to make it crystal clear that she’s not one of those who thinks such things of her.

Helena figures that Dinah and she are good again after their talk, but she really doesn’t want to risk another unpleasant argument like the one they’d had the previous day.

“Here we are”, Sal distracts her from her thoughts, stopping the car; he gets out to open the door for her, something she doesn’t exactly enjoy, but she’s given up on telling him he shouldn’t do it, as he insists that it’s part of his job, and so, Helena just lets him, thanking him as she gets out, feeling her heart skip an excited beat as she approaches the bar.

There’s not much business yet, she can see when she enters, and by now, the regulars are used enough to her that they barely glance her way; she remembers the first time she has entered the place, how they’d stared at her cane and her limp, a reaction she often gets and should be used to, but one which still makes her stomach clench oddly.

Dinah is behind the bar, and spots her as she enters, and the bright smile and wave she greets her with makes her stomach clench again, but this time, it’s in a good way.

“Hey!” the barkeep greets her as she sits down, closer to her this time and not at the far end of the bar, “what can I get you? Screwdriver? Beer?”

“You know what”, Helena says in response, leaning her cane against the bar between her feet as she talks, “I feel adventurous today. What was that one drink? Hairy Stomach?”

“Hairy Navel”, Dinah replies with a small laugh, a sound Helena has grown to like quite a bit ever since she’s started to come here, “and yeah, I can make that for you if you want. Adventurous, huh?”

She smiles, and winks, and Helena feels her palms grow sweaty, wondering if this really is flirting (which she hopes) or if she just reads too much into a barkeep being friendly to a regular (which she doesn’t hope), now wishing that she’d be better at this whole social thing.

She’s doing well enough at the few charity events she has to go to, or when she’s in business talks with people who work for her and with her; but these people don’t flirt with her, and she’s not quite sure business talks count as social interaction, as she has to be tough and stern during those, and not nice.

“Well, you know”, Dinah distracts her from her ponderings, putting the glass down in front of her, the liquid so orange that it looks dangerous, and briefly, Helena regrets having ordered this, “it can be quite good to be adventurous sometimes. Might lead to interesting… new things.”

And with that, she places her hand on top of Helena’s and squeezes, then winks at her again - before she goes to take care of another guest, Helena sitting there and staring at her drink, her mind running wild.

_ That was flirtatious, definitely,  _ she tells herself, skin tingling where Dinah’s hand has touched hers,  _ not just a friends thing. Ask her out, you’ve wanted to for weeks. Just do it! _

She takes in a deep breath to calm her nerves, then takes a sip of her drink; it’s better than she’s expected, after seeing the garish colour, a bit too sweet for her taste, but not so bad she can’t finish it.

Dinah comes over to her again, and Helena thinks this is her chance; she clears her throat, then says “Dinah?”, feeling her cheeks heat up when the barkeep looks at her, but not allowing herself to back down. 

“I’d like to… go out for dinner, with you”, she says, fighting the urge to fidget nervously, “whenever you’re free… if you want to, I mean, if not--”

“I’d love to”, Dinah gently interrupts her, and she nearly sighs with relief, and gratitude at the fact that the barkeep has stopped her from babbling, “but just so we’re clear, you are asking me out on a date right now?”   


“Yes”, Helena confirms bravely, and Dinah smiles brightly at her, then says “great!”; they quickly settle a date and time, for the next free evening Dinah has, then exchange phone numbers too, just in case, and for the rest of this night, Helena can’t stop grinning like an idiot.

When she finally leaves the bar that night and goes home, she feels better than she has in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that, for once, I wouldn't make them go through endless pining. XD Go Helena, hehe.


	11. Chapter 11

_ Hi, this is Dinah. Realized I forgot to ask where we’re going. How fancy is it gonna be? Gotta dress appropriate. ;-) _

_ You’ll look great no matter what you wear. I actually haven’t decided yet. You got any cravings? _

“Yeah, you”, Dinah mumbles to herself, but sending this before their first proper date is probably a bit too rash, so she decides not to do it - and also because she can’t see Helena’s face, but would love to take note of her reaction, after how flustered the woman has been when she’s asked her out.

_ Haven’t had good barbecue in a while _ , she thus texts back fairly innocently, figuring that most barbecue places aren’t on the fancy side; the response comes quick, just like the first time she’s texted Helena, and she smiles to herself as she imagines Helena sitting at her ridiculously big work desk, phone in hand and ignoring the work in her favour.

_ Barbecue it is then _ , Helena has written,  _ seven ok to pick you up? _

_ Perfect _ , Dinah confirms, the phone vibrating in her hand again a second later as Helena texts her that she’s looking forward to it; Dinah takes a moment to write back that she does, too, then gets up and hurries to her wardrobe, determined to find something to wear which will make Helena all flustered again.

She finally settles on tight black pants, a tad classier than regular jeans, and a shirt which is cut low enough to give Helena a good idea of her upper body, but not so low it could have been as cheap; for a moment, she considers tying her hair back, then decides against it - she does want to look good for Helena, but she’s not willing to fake being something she isn’t.

_ I don’t think she’d want me to _ , she realizes as she puts on some light make-up, then chooses one of her many necklaces,  _ she has met you as a confident, maybe even a bit cocky barkeep. And she likes me, not some fake version of me. _

This makes her feel good, and she smiles to herself, then checks her watch; there’s still some time left until Helena will pick her up, and she sits down on her couch, fidgeting though as she now feels nervous.

_ Don’t be silly _ , she scolds herself,  _ this is Helena! You know her! You know her, and you like her, you know this will go well. _

Deciding to distract herself, Dinah switches on the TV, and starts zapping through the channels; she glances at her clock every now and then as she does so, and on seven on the dot, there’s a knock at her door, and she practically jumps up as she turns the TV off again.

Somehow, she manages to calmly walk to the door instead of rushing there, clearing her throat and smoothing her shirt down once more; then, she opens the door, and smiles brightly as she finds Helena in front of it, the taller woman not only amazing her with the nice suit she’s wearing, but also with the bouquet of flowers she’s holding in her free hand, the other gripping her cane just a bit too tight, showing that she is nervous, as well.

“Hi”, Dinah figures that this is a good start, smiling brightly at her; the other woman smiles back at her, then clears her throat and practically thrusts the flowers at her, mumbling “theseareforyou” in one fast word, and Dinah blinks as she needs a moment to decipher that.

“Thank you”, she then says, taking the flowers and giving them an admiring look, “they’re beautiful. You look very good, too, why don’t you come in while I find a vase for these?”

She steps back, and Helena enters, glancing around the apartment; it’s small, it probably could have fit into her living room, but it’s more comfortable, more like a home than her own place, even though she has been living in it for most of her life.

“You look great, too”, she belatedly realizes that compliments should be returned, “and, um, I hope you got an appetite, the restaurant I chose is quite known for rather big portions.”

“Thank you”, Dinah says again from the kitchen, filling the vase she’s found with water there, “and that is good to know, because I am hungry.”

Helena lets out a vaguely agreeing noise, then just stands there and waits for her to get done; and a minute later, Dinah is ready, placing the flowers on the kitchen table before she turns to her date again, smiling brightly.

“Shall we, then?” she says, and Helena nods at once; she would have offered her arm, but the door is too narrow to let them go through side by side, but she does make the offer when Dinah has stepped into the hallway with her and has locked the door, feeling a flush of heat when Dinah responds by hooking her hand into the crook of her arm.

“So, tell me”, Dinah says as they walk down the stairs side by side, a bit mindful to walk slower than usual as she can tell that the stairs give Helena a bit of trouble with her leg, “this place we’re going to, is it super fancy?”

“I think not”, Helena replies, “more… middle-ish…? Honestly, I’m not too fond of the super fancy places, as you put it, the food is usually ridiculous and such tiny portions. Last time I had to go to such a place for a business dinner, I had Sal stop at McDonald’s afterwards to get burgers.”

At this, Dinah bursts out laughing, imagining the limousine pulling up to the drive-through and the look on the face of the person manning the window; and then, this image is replaced by one of Helena biting into a Big Mac, and drinking coke from a large paper cup through a straw, she she only laughs harder, the taller woman smirking at her amusement. 

When they step out of the building, the limousine is parked right in front of it, and Sal is standing next to it, waiting for them; at seeing him, Dinah is briefly nervous, remembering the glare he’d given her when she’d upset Helena, but he seems to have forgiven her, smiling at her as he holds the door open for them.

“Ladies”, he says, Helena letting Dinah get in first; they end up sitting side by side this time instead of facing each other, and the moment Helena has gotten comfortable, Dinah takes hold of her hand, smiling when the taller woman immediately blushes in response.

“Relax”, Dinah tells her, easily picking up on how nervous she is, “there’s no need to be nervous. It’s me, you know me, and I was very happy when you asked me out, you have nothing to be nervous about. Okay?”

“Can’t help it”, Helena mumbles, cheeks still reddened, “it’s… been a while since I went on a date.”

“Just imagine we’re at the bar”, Dinah suggests, and that does seem to help, as Helena relaxes at least a bit; she smiles at the taller woman, and after a moment, Helena smiles back, relaxing further as she allows herself to simply enjoy being with the barkeep and to look forward to what will certainly be a nice date for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave myself an epic craving for good barbecue when I wrote this. I apologize if this happens to anyone else XD


	12. Chapter 12

The place Helena has chosen is not one of the super fancy ones, as Dinah has put it, but closer to upper middle class; and Dinah is grateful for that, all too aware that whatever it is Helena and she have right now will cause quite a stir in the tall woman’s circles, and not quite eager to experience this on their first date together.

At this restaurant, nobody seems to know who Helena is, as nobody looks at them twice; Helena has reserved a table, and the waiter does blink when she says “table for Bertinelli”, but is professional enough to not let any other reaction show.

He leads them to one of the tables farther back, where they will have some privacy; and once they have sat down, he hands them the menus, then retreats, giving them some time to choose their food and drink.

“You might want to recommend some wine”, Dinah tells Helena as she looks through the menu, “I’m good at cocktails and shots, but the only wine we serve at the bar is the kind which probably gives most people heartburn.”

“Well, depends on what you want to it”, Helena says, looking at the menu as well and thus missing how Dinah looks up at her, impressed, when she continues, “if you want steak, Cabernet Sauvignon is good with that, or Chianti. If you want chicken, I’d go with Chardonnay.”

“Wow”, Dinah lets out, and that does make Helena look up at her again, “you’re really good at this, aren’t you.”

“Pairing food with wine?” Helena gives back, raising an eyebrow, “I guess so? It’s what I’d categorize as rich people bullshit though, please tell me you’re not expecting me to sniff the wine and wax poetic about how earthy it smells and tastes like chocolate on the back of your tongue.”

Dinah laughs again at that, and shakes her head, grinning when Helena tells her she’d much rather have a beer, anyway; and so, they order steak with fries and beer, and when the drinks are brought, Dinah takes her glass and sniffs the beer, then lets out a “hmmm” sound, making a thoughtful face before she takes a tiny sip.

“I taste a hint of nut”, she says, affecting a posh English accent, “and perhaps, some caramel when it goes down.”

Helena laughs at her antics, and suddenly, Dinah pauses, then gives her a look so warm and tender that it makes her feel all warm and gooey inside.

“You know”, Dinah says, suddenly serious again, putting the glass down again, “I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh. I have to say, I wouldn’t mind hearing that more often.”

Once again, Helena blushes at the compliment, but doesn’t break the eye contact; she’s still smiling, and her smile widens when Dinah reaches across the table and takes her hand, she feels relaxed and good about herself, happy that the evening is going so well so far.

* * *

When it’s time to pay for the dinner, Helena is nervous again for a moment, remembering how badly it has gone when she’s paid something for Dinah the last time; she still says that she will pick up the check, and quickly adds that she has asked Dinah out after all, glad and relieved when the other woman nods her agreement.

“You don’t have to walk on eggshells around me when it comes to that stuff, you know”, Dinah then says, having easily picked up on how this has made Helena nervous, “I promise I won’t bite your head off again when you try to do something nice for me, no matter if money is involved or not. I just… don’t want you to think this is why I’m going out with you.”

“I’d never think that”, Helena tells her at once, shaking her head for emphasis, “I know you’re not like that. But I don’t want to give you the feeling that I’m… I don’t know, flaunting it or something. I just want to make you happy.”

She realizes that she’s revealed a bit too much perhaps with that last sentence, and for a moment worries that she’s gone too far, too fast; then Dinah smiles at her though, with warmth and happiness, and she finds herself smiling again as well, glad that she hasn’t just made a mess of things by saying too much too soon.

“There will be people who’ll think that, though”, Dinah says, making a face, “I mean… if we keep going out. They’ll think I’m just doing this for the money, and I want you to know I’m not.”

“I know there will be”, Helena sighs, “people from… my circle, for lack of a better word. Honestly though, I haven’t cared what they thought of me so far and I won’t care what they think now. And if anyone says anything dumb to you about this, I’ll hit them with my cane.”

The mental image of Helena doing that to some old rich guy makes Dinah snort again, and Helena smirks as well; shaking her head, Dinah tells her she probably shouldn’t do that, the taller woman just shrugging as the waiter comes over with the check.

Just as Helena has said, she pays for the meal, then uses her cane in the intended way, to come to her feet; Dinah notices the brief grimace when she does so, and her heart flies out to her, but makes sure to keep this hidden, knowing how Helena feels about getting pitied.

She takes her arm again, and they leave the restaurant together; the limousine is waiting nearby, so Helena won’t have to walk far, Dinah realizes, and when he sees them coming, Sal pops out of it to open the door for them, asking if they’d had a good time and smiling when Dinah says they had.

“I feel bad for you though”, she then adds once they are in the back and he’s behind the steering wheel, “sitting around waiting for us. Doesn’t it get boring?”

“I got a Playstation Portable, a Nintendo DS and a laptop”, Sal rattles off in response, Dinah blinking as she hasn’t quite expected that while Helena snorts at the look on her face, “I hardly ever get bored.”

“I tell him he should read books”, Helena wisely says, “but he claims that tires out his eyes, as if the games don’t.”

“You know I want a Switch for my birthday”, is all Sal has to say to that; Helena smirks and nods, and Dinah shakes her head, then gives the taller woman an amused look while Sal starts the engine.

“You know”, she comments as the limousine gets moving, “I think you’re the only millionaire in Gotham who buys her driver video games. Or in all of the US.”

Helena just shrugs, and for a moment, Dinah feels the overwhelming urge to kiss her; she tells herself not to though, because poor Sal, but she does decide right then and there that she will kiss her at her apartment door, fairly certain Helena will walk her there.

As it turns out, she does, something Dinah gives her extra credit for as she knows stairs aren’t exactly a pleasure to her with her damaged leg; she doesn’t let it show if she’s in pain though bravely making her way up to Dinah’s floor with her, the two of them stopping in front of the barkeep’s apartment door.

“I had a great time tonight”, Dinah tells her, smiling when she blushes again in response, “thank you. We really should do this again real soon.”

“Agreed”, Helena says at once, absurdly happy that this hasn’t been a one time thing, even though it’s been fairly clear it wouldn’t be already during the date, “I had a great time, too.”

“There’s one more thing”, Dinah says, and the clueless look Helena gives her only endears her further to her; and so, she takes a step closer to her, so close to her now their bodies are almost touching, one of her arms wrapping around her waist while the other goes to the back of her neck, and then she’s kissing her, and Helena can feel her knees go weak.

She still has enough presence of mind to wrap her free arm around Dinah and to actually kiss her back, as well; she’s been hoping that there would be a kiss at the end of this evening, but never would have dared to be the one to initiate is, so she’s quite happy that Dinah is so much braver about this than she herself is.

“Thank you”, Helena mumbles once they’ve pulled apart again, then goes wide-eyed and blushes furiously as she realizes what she just has said; luckily, Dinah seems to find it adorable and not weird, since she smiles, then winks as she says “you’re welcome”, then pulls her in for another kiss, both of them breathless once this one ends.

“I work tomorrow”, Dinah tells her, idly playing with the fine hair at the back of her neck and taking note of the shiver this sends down Helena’s spine, “drop by?”

“Definitely”, Helena says at once, earning another smile from the other woman; then, Dinah wishes her a good night before she kisses her for a third time, and when Helena walks down the stairs afterwards, there’s no pain at all, she feels as if she’s floating, her lips still tingling and her skin burning where Dinah has touched her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saying "thank you" after getting smooched from a pretty girl is something I might do, too. XD


	13. Chapter 13

“Someone’s in a good mood”, Renee observes as Dinah enters the bar at the start of her shift, and is humming to herself as she takes off her bag and places it behind the counter, “what are you so happy about?”

“I”, Dinah declares in response, “had an amazing date last night. And don’t give me that look, Renee, it was all fairly tame. Just goodnight kissing at my door.”

“If you’re so happy after just goodnight kissing, I don’t want to know what you’ll be like once you get laid”, Renee comments, “but good for you. So, do I know the lucky person you went out with?”

“Helena”, Dinah tells her, and Renee raises an eyebrow in surprise, “yeah, we made up. And she asked me out. And it was great, really good first date, good food, good kiss… oh and I got to ride in the limo again, that was a bonus.”

“Good for you”, Renee says again, “and I really don’t want to piss on your parade, but you are aware what the people she normally hangs out with will say, yes?”

“Yes”, Dinah sighs, “we’ve talked about that, actually. They’ll think I’m just with her for her money, but she knows I’m not, and she said if anyone says something dumb to me about that, she’ll hit them with her cane. Also, I’m fairly certain it’s  _ don’t want to rain on your parade _ , not piss.”

“Tomato, tomatoe”, Renee shrugs, “and it’s good you talked about that, good to clear that up before you start something serious. Also, I really want to see her hit someone with her cane.”

“She knows I’m not like that”, Dinah tells her, “she knew before we actually talked about it. I’m the one who accused her of throwing cash around so… And don’t wish for that, I’m pretty sure she’d actually do it.”

“Who would do what”, Harley wants to know as she skates up to the bar, startling both Renee and Dinah; they blink, then Dinah frowns, she knows her shifts by heart and knows it’s hers tonight and not Harley’s.

“Helena would hit people with her cane if they’re mean to me”, she says, “but why are you here? You know it’s my shift tonight and not yours, right?”

“Of course, I’m not dumb”, Harley says, rolling her eyes, “I am supposed to be home and study for a test, but I got bored, so I decided to come here for a drink. I learn better after a drink or two anyway.”

Dinah raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn’t comment, and Renee just shakes her head as well; Harley beams at them both, then asks for a beer, and while Dinah goes to get her one, Renee retreats to her backroom to get some paperwork done.

As the first few guests arrive, Dinah catches herself glancing at the door every time, hoping Helena will be among them; it’s still early though, even for her, and she tells herself to be patient, Helena has told her she will drop by and so she certainly will.

Still she’s nervous, wondering what she will do if Helena actually doesn’t show up; and when the door opens again and it is the taller woman, she feels absurdly relieved, even though she has been sure Helena will drop by.

Helena smiles at her as she makes her way to the bar, and Dinah finds herself unable to not grin back stupidly; not caring what any of the other guests might think, she leans over the bar the moment Helena is close enough to do so, and kisses her Hello, hearing Harley squee from her seat.

“Hi”, she says after the kiss, short and innocent as it has been, it still has managed to make Helena flush again, “good to see you.”

“Same here”, Helena tells her, sitting down - closer to her, Dinah notes, not at the far end of the bar anymore, “I’ve been looking forward to coming here all day.”

“Aw”, Dinah lets out, and Harley squees again - before she leans closer and takes a look at Helena’s cane, the taller woman looking taken aback while Dinah just groans, knowing Harley well enough at this point to have a vague idea about what will come next.

“Hm”, Harley lets out, poking the cane, and Helena blinks, “looks solid enough to me. Can I have this for a moment?”

“...sure”, Helena says, handing her the cane, still looking confused, but not offended, to Dinah’s relief; Harley takes it and swings it this way and that, then nods to herself as if in satisfaction and gives it back.

“Good weight”, she says, “heavier than I would have expected, you can definitely hit someone on the head with that.”

“I might have told them about your promise in case someone says something mean to me”, Dinah confesses, “you know, that you’ll hit them with your cane?”

“Oh, I totally will”, Helena says with a perfectly straight face, confirming the suspicion Dinah has had that she hasn’t been joking, “more than once, if I have to.”

“You’d be in the newspaper”, Harley seriously comments, and Helena shrugs, not appearing all too bothered by the idea; and when she says “wouldn’t be the first time”, Dinah raises an eyebrow, amused when she speaks up.

“So you make a habit of hitting people, or what were those other times about?” she wants to know, and Helena shrugs again, then smirks, leaning comfortably onto the bar as she replies.

“Can’t tell you, sorry”, she says, and Dinah makes a face, “I have to keep  _ some _ of the dark mysterious aura surrounding me.”

“Aw”, Dinah lets out, “well, alright then. But I will find out at some point, you better believe me. Now, you want a drink? Screwdriver?”

“Um, just a coke today”, Helena says in reply, mildly surprising Dinah as this is the first time she orders something non-alcoholic; she’s still a barkeep though, and a professional one at that, so she smiles and nods, not making a comment, but going to prepare the drink instead. 

As always, Helena has the cash ready when Dinah serves the drink, and tips well; she holds on to her glass again after the first sip, as she always does, but Dinah notes that she does look around the bar this time when she has to actually do some work and can’t talk to her, smiling to herself at how much more relaxed Helena seems now.  
  
_ If she’s so much more relaxed after just a goodnight kiss, I wonder what she’ll be like once we actually slept together _ , she then thinks to herself, smirking at her own thoughts; she doesn’t want to rush things, but she is curious, and she can barely wait to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a difference a kiss can make. XD


	14. Chapter 14

“So”, Helena says quite a while later, on her third glass of coke, her good leg bouncing either due to the sugar, the caffeine or both, “do you have another free evening this week? Cause I’d like to go out again… soon…”

“Friday night”, Dinah says at once, and Helena brightens, only to deflate a moment later, Dinah giving her a questioning look at her odd reaction.

“I got some rich people bullshit I gotta go to on Friday”, Helena says with a sigh, “I’d love you to come, but on the other hand, I’m not sure this is a good idea for our second date. I’d like to keep the judging glares and whispered insult for at least the fourth or fifth one.”

“I don’t mind”, Dinah reassures her at once, “come on, we can make fun of them when they stare as if you’ve grown a second head when you walk in with me on your arm. If you want me to come, I’m down.”

“Okay”, Helena says after a moment, earning a bright smile from the barkeep, “let me ask you out properly then. Dinah, will you do me the honour and accompany me to this event on Friday?”

“I’d love to”, Dinah tells her with a happy smile, Helena grinning back at her, then leaning over the counter for another kiss; afterwards, she checks her watch and makes a face, the sighs as she lets Dinah know she has to get going now, as she’ll have an early conference call in the next morning.

“Okay”, the barkeep nods, “get home safely. See you tomorrow?”

“Of course”, Helena says at once, earning another bright smile; they share another kiss, then she forces herself to get up from her seat, even though she doesn’t want to go home, she would have preferred to stay for longer and talk and kiss some more, but she also knows that the call in the next day is important and that she has to be on top of her game for it.

“Have a good evening”, she tells Dinah, taking the time for another kiss after all before she finally does leave; and the moment she’s out the door, Dinah starts mentally going through her wardrobe, feeling giddy as she looks forward to Friday, eager to have another date with Helena, unable to stop smiling for the rest of the night.

* * *

Just like for their first date, Helena picks Dinah up from her home; and when Dinah opens the door upon her knocking, she can immediately tell that she chose her outfit wisely, if the way Helena’s breath catches and her eyes widen is anything to go by.

“I take it you like my dress?” Dinah smirks, proud to have caused this reaction - she knows she’s attractive, and she knows the black dress she has chosen hugs her curves in all the right ways, but it’s still nice to have it confirmed, Helena only able to nod, before she clears her throat and regains some of her senses, once again offering her arm to the barkeep as she tells her that she looks great.

“So do you”, Dinah tells her, with a look of appreciation, “you really make those suits work. We’re gonna look like a badass power couple.”

“The cane might take away a bit of badassness”, Helena points out, but Dinah immediately shakes her head, smirking at the questioning look the other woman shoots her in response, and quickly explaining her reaction.

“One never knows”, she says, “you could have a sword hidden in there, like in the movies. That would make it badass again.”

Helena snorts at this, and shakes her head; glad that she has managed to make her laugh again, Dinah grins and squeezes her arm, pushing the door open as they reach the ground floor so they can step outside.

The limousine is waiting again, and so is Sal, opening the door for them; they sit side by side in the back, Helena clearing her throat once they have gotten comfortable, suddenly serious as she looks at Dinah, making her wonder what will be brought up now, quite sure it won’t be something pleasant.

“I really want this to be a nice date”, Helena says, suddenly looking uncomfortable, “and I’ll do my best so it will be but… I can’t speak for the other people there, and, to be blunt, they can be assholes. So… if, I dunno, if it gets too much or you don’t feel comfortable or something, just tell me, okay?”

“Aw, you’re so sweet”, Dinah tells her, grasping her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, “but no worries, I can handle a few rich assholes. We’ll be fine.”

“Just saying”, Helena mumbles, still looking a bit uncomfortable, but somewhat relieved now, too, “I want you to enjoy this, and not… get annoyed by some of the less friendly people there.”

“I’ll enjoy it because I’ll be there with you”, Dinah lets her know, touched when Helena blushes again, “I’m quite sure you’ve noticed, but I do like you, and being around you. And hey, if it sucks, I’ll drag you to a party with my friends next, so they can roast you for being loaded.”

“Deal”, Helena replies with a small laugh, only to frown when Sal calls from the driver’s seat that he wants to be there for that, too; this in turn makes Dinah laugh, Sal briefly looking at them to grin and wink, then focusing on the road again, Helena shaking her head to herself at their antics.

“I’m not sure what I think about the two of you teaming up like that”, she then says, but there’s a twinkle in her eyes which shows she’s not fully serious; still Dinah lets out an “awwww” sound and squeezes her hand again, Sal just snickering to himself, still smirking when he pulls into the parking lot of the event hall where the whole shindig is happening.

“There we are”, he says, killing the engine before he gets out to open the door for them; Helena is the first to get out, and already when Dinah does the same, the other people who are arriving in this moment are staring quite openly, only getting more interested when Helena offers her arm to the barkeep and she gladly accepts it.

“They’re staring already”, Helena mumbles to her, “and here I thought they would at least wait until we’re inside.”

“Please”, Dinah says, tossing her hair back and making Helena snicker again at the gesture, “as if you didn’t stare at me when you saw me the first time. Can you blame them?”

“Well, no”, Helen has to admit, “you look stunning, anyone with eyes can see that.”

“How charming”, Dinah smiles, craning her neck afterwards to press a kiss to Helena’s cheek; to her amusement, she actually hears someone behind her gasp, and from the way Helena smirks, she’s heard it, too.

This, Dinah decides, is going to be a lot fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helena now wants a sword cane, and I do, too. XD


	15. Chapter 15

“Helena Bertinelli”, Helena gives her name to the man at the door, an imposing looking guy in a black suit and with a clipboard, the only thing missing are the sunglasses, Dinah thinks to herself, “plus one, Dinah Lance.”

The man checks his clipboard and nods, then wishes them a nice evening as he steps aside to let them enter; it’s some charity thing again, and Dinah is somewhat glad she doesn’t have to work here tonight, the money wouldn’t have hurt, but she much prefers being here as Helena’s date.

She’s still holding on to Helena’s arm as they walk into the large main area of the event hall, where the event itself will take place; and she can tell that they are somewhat of a sensation, people looking and whispering to each other as they pass them.

“Say”, she mumbles to Helena, the taller woman looking at her, “have you ever brought a date to one of these things before? Cause I’m fairly certain this reaction isn’t just because we’re both women.”

“Actually, I haven’t”, Helena admits, clearing her throat before she goes on, “I meant it when I said it has been a while since I’d gone on a date. So yeah, they might be just as stunned if I had a guy with me, but I think the fact that you’re female is an extra incentive for them to be scandalized.”

“Well, I’m honoured”, Dinah declares, making the taller woman smile again, “now, shall we find something to drink and a seat?”

Helena nods her agreement, her leg already twinges a bit and she knows this will only get worse the longer she walks and stands around; Dinah quickly spots a waiter with a tray of champagne glasses and snatches two of them up, then they find one of the few still empty tables and sit down, Helena letting out a sigh of relief when she gets to stretch her leg.

Dinah knows she doesn’t like it to be pitied, but she’s still sympathetic; she doesn’t say anything, reaches over though and places one hand on Helena’s, the taller woman managing a wry smile as their eyes meet.

“Just need a minute”, Helena says after a moment, for the first time admitting to Dinah that it hurts, even if she still doesn’t outright say it, “it gets better when I’m sitting down.”

“No hitting people with your cane until it’s better, then”, Dinah lightly says, smiling when this earns her another snort of laughter; she raises her glass and takes a sip, holding eye contact with Helena over the rim of the glass, and even though they are still being stared at and she knows people are whispering about them, she’s happy to be here, and happy to be in Helena’s company once again.

* * *

After some speeches have been held about the charity this event is for, a band starts playing, and the buffet is declared open; both Helena and Dinah help themselves to some food this time, and apparently the novelty of them being there together has worn off somewhat, since barely anyone looks at them anymore.

Dinah doesn’t mind much either way, she doesn’t care when they stare at her and she doesn’t care when they ignore her; and Helena appears just as unperturbed, wolfing down the food she’s gotten from the buffet, her plate empty again quite fast as it’s the ridiculously small portions she’s been talking about during their first date.

_ Maybe McD after this _ , she decides, remembering how Dinah has reacted to the revelation that she’d gone there with her driver and how it had made her laugh; for the moment, another urge is more pressing though, and she excuses herself, feeling bad for leaving Dinah alone at the table, but figuring that she can hurry so the barkeep won’t have to wait for her for her too long.

Thankfully, she doesn’t need to wait at the restroom, finding an empty stall quickly; and just when she is about to step outside again, someone else enters, and she hears what they are talking about, and freezes.

“...seen the woman Bertinelli is here with?” one female voice says, with a hint of disdain, “I told Cynthia she seems familiar, and Cynthia said she saw her manning the buffet at another event!”

“Really”, another voice says, Helena has no idea who these people are, but it makes her angry to hear them talk like that, and her anger only grows when they continue, “well, figures. Someone with a personality as abrasive as Bertinelli, you think she could get someone who’s not a gold digger?”

Helena practically bursts out of the stall, and she’s darkly satisfied when both women flinch, clearly having been unaware that she’s been in there, one of them actually taking a step back when she sees the rage in her eyes.

“What did you just call her”, Helena demands, gripping her cane tight enough that her knuckles whiten, and for a second, she truly is very close to smacking the woman with it, “care to repeat that to my face?”

Clearly, the woman has no interest in doing so, as she turns and leaves the restroom, her friend quickly following her; and if they had been talking shit about her, Helena would just have let them go, but they’ve insulted Dinah, and she’s not going to let this just happen.

So, she follows them, as fast as she can, ignoring the flash of pain her fast pace sends through her leg, and calls out to them as she steps back into the event hall, loud enough to make several heads turn, Dinah being one of those who take note of what is happening.

“Hey!” Helena snaps after the women, “I’m talking to you! How dare you!”

_ Oh shit, she’s really gonna hit them with her cane if no one stops her _ , Dinah realizes, and while the thought has been amusing at the bar, she doesn’t like the idea one bit now, not wanting to imagine what unpleasant consequences this might have; and so, she hurriedly comes to her feet, and moves to get between her and the women.

“Helena”, she says as she’s in her path, managing to catch her eye and startled at the anger she sees in her gaze, even though it softens considerably when Helena’s eyes meet hers, “what happened?”

Seeing Dinah’s worried expression calms Helena down further, and she realizes that everyone within earshot is staring; and she doesn’t want to repeat what these horrible women have said, so she just grits her teeth and says nothing.

“...come on”, Dinah says after a moment, taking her free hand, taking note of how tightly she’s grasping her cane, something she knows by now as a sign that Helena is upset, “let’s get out of here.”

Helena just nods, and they start walking, Dinah can tell that she’s doing so as fast as she can; and as they pass the two women Helena has chased out of the restroom, one of them speaks up to the other, loud enough for both of them to hear.

“The psycho and the gold digger. A match made in heaven”, she mumbles to her friend, and Helena feels the rage flare back up and sees red.

It’s not her who slaps the woman though, it’s Dinah who takes a swift step closer to her and slaps her, a round of gasps coming from the people around them.

“How dare you call her that”, Dinah snaps, while Helena can just stand and stare, she’s known Dinah has a temper which can flare up quickly, but the fact that it happens because someone insulted her makes her feel oddly and inappropriately warm inside, the feeling only growing when Dinah continues, “she’s one of the sweetest and kindest persons I’ve ever met, so don’t you dare talk shit about her!”

The woman only lets out a vague noise, perhaps agreement, perhaps pain or perhaps even a bit of fear; Dinah gives her another glare, then grabs Helena’s hand again, sending another glare at the women and the other people watching.

“Come on”, she says again, and Helena’s anger is gone, she feels all warm and gooey inside now, “let’s go. These people don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.”

Helena can only nod, and has to grit her teeth again, not out out of anger this time though - she fights a goofy grin as they walk outside, and the minute the door falls close behind them, she pulls Dinah close and kisses her deeply, the barkeep somewhat surprised, but more than happy to reciprocate. 

“That’s the first time someone has defended me like that”, Helena mumbles after the kiss, cheeks reddening again at admitting this, “so… thank you.”

“Just told the truth”, Dinah tells her, smiling as well now; Helena squeezes her hand, then nods towards her limousine, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“So”, she says, and her next words make Dinah burst out laughing, “McDonald’s?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinah: Uh oh I shouldn't actually let her hit someone with the cane!  
> Also Dinah: *smacks people who are mean to Helena*


	16. Chapter 16

They do get McDonald’s, for themselves and Sal gets his share, too; he parks the limousine at the restaurant’s parking lot, and they all eat, Dinah snickering at the pleased groan Helena lets out when she bites into her burger.

“How can something so unhealthy be so good”, she then asks no one in particular; Dinah shrugs and takes a somewhat big gulp of her coke, then smirks again, looking around as she unwraps her own burger.

“You know”, she says, “this has to be the fanciest place I’ve ever eaten McD in. I’m terrified the pickle is gonna fall out of my burger and stain the seats.”

As if on cue, the pickle does fall out, not of her burger, but of Helena’s; it lands on the seat with an audible  _ splat _ , then slowly slides down and lands on the floor, both Helena and Dinah watching it do so in silence.

“Oops”, Helena then says, and Dinah bursts out laughing while Sal lets out a dramatic gasp, “eh, a wet wipe will do for that. No worries.”

“Also, it’s your pickle, not mine”, Dinah points out, earning a shrug from the taller woman, “I’m completely innocent in this.”

“That, too”, Helena solemnly agrees, and Dinah smirks to herself before she leans in for a brief, but gentle kiss, momentarily forgetting about Sal in the driver’s seat - until the glass panel starts sliding up, the driver snickering audibly until it closes and they’re cut off from him.

“He did that”, Helena says as Dinah blinks at the glass, “wasn’t me.”

“It was just an innocent smooch!” Dinah says loudly, not sure if he can hear her, then lowering her voice as she looks at Helena again, “but, well, since we do have some privacy now…”

She leans in again, kissing the taller woman with quite a bit more fervour this time; Helena kisses her back at once, and lets out a sigh muffled by Dinah’s mouth on hers, suddenly quite glad that the panel is up so Sal can neither see, nor hear this.

“Want to come to my place with me?” she blurts out after the kiss before she can stop herself; a second later, she’s mortified, certain that she’s been too rash now, but happy again when Dinah smiles at once and nods, playing with one of the buttons on the other woman’s shirt as she responds.

“I’d love to”, she states, “or this date would be over way too early if I went home already.”

Helena can only nod, once again unable to stop grinning; she needs another moment to regain her composure, then pushes the button to make the panel slide down again and tells Sal to take them home, glad to see her smile mirrored on Dinah’s face and finding herself wondering where the evening might go once they’d be at her home.

* * *

“You better not leave me alone in here”, Dinah says as they enter the mansion, glancing around - she’s been aware of how big it is when she’s been here to apologize, but has been too worried back then to truly pay attention, “I’ll never find you again. Or my way back out.”

“Not planning to”, Helena replies with a small laugh, “but one gets used to it, you’ll find your way around here in no time.”

The implication that she’ll be here more often now makes Dinah smile, and she glances around again as Helena leads the way, trying to memorize the path they’re taking; the house truly is huge, but at least, they don’t walk far, up to the first floor and to what appears to be a living room there, Helena offering her a seat on the comfortable couch which she gladly accepts.

There’s a bedroom right next door, Dinah sees through the open door, catching a glimpse of a large bed; in the room they have ended up in, there’s a huge flatscreen TV, another computer and even a little fridge, Helena taking note of the way Dinah looks around and explaining as she sits down in another chair, facing her.

“Sort of my living room”, she says, “there’s another, bigger one downstairs, but that is the one I mostly use.”

“It looks nice”, Dinah says, it looks a bit sterile and there’s barely any decor, but she wants to be nice and not criticize, “and this couch is comfy. But why are you on that seat over there? Come sit next to me.”

She pats the seat next to her, and Helena gets up and does; clearing her throat, the taller woman suddenly seems nervous, and Dinah remembers what she has said about not having been on any dates for a while, wondering if this is the first time she actually brings someone here.

“So, um”, Helena starts once she has gotten comfortable again, “you want something to drink…?”

“No”, Dinah tells her, giving her a smile seductive enough to make her swallow heavily, “there’s something else I want right now.”

She leans in and kisses her, the kiss quickly deepening; and as it grows more passionate, Dinah starts to move to get into her lap, remembering her bad leg in the last second though and ending up hovering above her somewhat awkwardly. 

“It’s fine”, Helena mumbles, tugging at her to get her to sit down, “thighs are okay, it’s… the knee, mostly.”

“Okay”, Dinah says as she carefully lowers herself, figuring it still can’t be good to drop down onto the other woman’s lap, “tell me if it’s uncomfortable, alright? I don’t want to hurt you.”

Helena nods at once, then kisses her again, and after a while, Dinah’s hands move to the buttons of her shirt, deftly undoing them, the way she can feel the other woman’s breath catch only making her arousal grow.

“What do you say”, she mumbles, hands resting on her chest now, and she can feel the heat radiating off her skin, “shall we take this to the bedroom?”

The groan Helena lets out in response goes right to Dinah’s core, and she takes it as an affirmative response; carefully, she comes to her feet, then holds her hand out to the taller woman, smirking at her as she gets up as well.

Thankfully, the bedroom isn’t far, right next room, Dinah ending up on her back on the pleasantly comfortable bed with Helena on top of her; they go back to kissing, Helena pulling back though when Dinah’s hands start working on her belt, suddenly looking uncomfortable again.

“It’s, um”, she says before Dinah can ask, “you should know it’s… not pretty.”

“I don’t care what it looks like”, Dina tells her in response, “all I care about right now is doing this with you.”

Helena swallows heavily in response, then goes back to kissing her, and this time, when Dinah undoes her pants and slides them down her legs as far as she can, lying beneath her the way she is, she doesn’t make a move to stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only implied smut in this one. Sorry, folks ;)   
> Also, RIP to the pickle...


	17. Chapter 17

Dinah wakes to knocking at the bedroom door, and she blinks sleepily, needing a moment to remember where she is; then, she feels Helena stir next to her, and realizes she’s in her bedroom, a smile immediately curling her lips when she remembers what they’d done in said room last night.

“Miss Bertinelli”, a voice calls from outside the room, “breakfast!”

“Don’t come in”, Helena calls back, cheeks flushing as she realizes that Dinah and she herself are completely naked, beneath the covers, but still, “just put it down on the table! And, um… we’ll need breakfast for two.”

“Certainly”, the woman replies from the other side of the door, “I will bring it up in ten minutes.”

“That’s fine”, Helena agrees, then slumps back onto the pillow; Dinah waits a moment to make sure the lady outside is gone, then says “Good morning”, leaning over for a tender kiss afterwards, Helena once again unable to stop grinning by the time the barkeep pulls back.

“You better be careful”, Dinah tells her, lightly running her fingers down her bare arm and smiling when she leaves goosebumps in her wake, happily remembering how well Helena has reacted to each kiss and touch the previous night, “if you spoil me too much with nights in such comfy beds and getting served breakfast, I’ll get used to it.”

“I wouldn’t mind spoiling you”, Helena lets her know, not really surprising her, “just so you know.”

Dinah just smiles in response, then throws the covers aside to get out of bed; Helena does the same, and this allows Dinah another good look at her leg, she has seen it the night before, but has been somewhat busy with other things to pay much attention to detail.

Now that she can take a closer look, she can tell at once that most of the damage has been done to Helena’s knee, as the taller woman had said the previous night; it looks oddly dented, compared to the other one, and she can see knotty scar tissue, running from the top of Helena’s knee halfway down her calf.

“That’s from the surgeries”, Helena says, having noticed her looking, but she doesn’t seem uncomfortable anymore with Dinah seeing it, not after last night, “they worked hard to safe what was left of my kneecap, but, well…”

“It was a car crash, wasn’t it”, Dinah remembers what Renee has told her, making the other woman nod, “I’ve… heard about it.”

“A lot of people have”, Helena replies with a slightly bitter smirk, “some drunk asshole who crashed into our car. I was the only one to make it out alive, my leg was fucked up too badly to ever heal properly again, but at least the rest did.”

She falls silent and swallows heavily, but not in the good way Dinah has noticed the previous evening; and so, they though they both are in the middle of getting dressed and half naked, she moves to hug her, holding her close as Helena practically slumps into her embrace, giving her the comfort she has needed for so long and now finally can receive.

* * *

“I should get going”, Dinah sighs quite a while later, after breakfast - which had been delicious, and quite a bit more luxurious and filling than she’s used to, “I work tonight, and I have to get some stuff done before that.”

“I’ll drop by at the bar”, Helena promises her in response, making her smile, “and if you want, Sal can drive you home, I don’t need him to take me anywhere until the evening.”

“That would be nice”, Dinah says, she does have to admit that riding around in the limousine is a very nice bonus which comes with dating Helena, “you’re sure he won’t mind?”

“Nah”, Helena reassures her at once, “he likes you, I can tell. I’ll let him know.”

“Okay”, the barkeep nods, then thanks her with a brief, but gentle kiss, “I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight. Take care until then.”

“You too”, Helena tells her; they kiss once more, then Dinah finally forces herself to get moving, knowing she won’t get far if she stays close to the other woman for another minute.

Apparently, Helena has somehow informed Sal that he’s needed without leaving her room, because he’s standing right next to the limousine when Dinah steps out of the house; he smiles brightly at her as he holds the door open for her, saying “Miss Lance” as she approaches, and Dinah grimaces at once.

“Please”, she then says, not getting in yet, “call me Dinah, Miss Lance makes me feel old. And weird. Especially since you’re older than me.”

“Alright”, Sal shrugs, and she does get in now; he closes the door, then gets into the driver’s seat, driving down the driveway while Dinah gets comfortable in the back.

She’s not quite sure if she should try small talk, but it feels to rude to sit here in silence, and so she clears her throat after a half minute, then speaks up, Sal glancing at her through the rearview mirror when she does so.

“So”, she says, feeling a bit awkward now, Sal has been nice enough to her since the first date, but she still remembers how protective he had been of Helena after their fight, “Helena says you’ve known her since she’s four?”

“Yes”, the driver confirms, “started working for her father, shortly before the accident. They had two drivers back then, the other guy was driving when that happened, and since even little Bertinellis have places they need to go to, I was kept on after… she’d gotten out of the hospital. Her uncle took care of the business stuff until she turned twenty-one, but he wasn’t very interested in her as a person, so that sort of fell to me.”

“Aw”, Dinah lets out, touched, and momentarily feeling angry at Helena’s uncle, even though she doesn’t even know the man, “well… that was very kind of you.”

Sal shrugs, but she can see him colour a bit; his mild embarrassment doesn’t stop him from responding, Dinah smiling at what he says.

“She’s like a daughter to me”, he says matter-of-factly, “I actually told her a while ago, when she gets married, I want to be the one to walk her down the aisle, or I’ll get cranky.”

“Aw, that’s sweet”, Dina lets him know, making him smile; the mention of marriage prompts her to glance down at her finger, before she realizes what she is doing and quickly looks out the window again, scolding herself for thinking like this after just two dates.

_ Don’t be ridiculous, oh my God, _ she scolds herself, hoping Sal isn’t looking at her and noticing her inner turmoil,  _ you’ve gone on two dates with her! Two! Why did he have to mention getting married? But, well Dinah Lance-Bertinelli does have a nice ring to it… oh my God, stop! _

“Here we are”, Sal distracts her from her thoughts, stopping in front of her apartment building, but not getting out of the car to open the door for her; instead, he turns in the seat so he can properly look at her, his gaze softening when their eyes meet.

“Just let me tell you this”, he says, the sincerity in his voice making her fidget a bit, “Helena’s happier than I’ve seen her in a long time, and it’s all because of you. So… just… don’t hurt her?”

“I won’t”, Dinah tells him at once, and he smiles, “because she makes me happy, too. Thank you for telling me this.”

“Just honest”, Sal shrugs, then gets out of the car and opens the door for her; she thanks him again as she gets out, and he winks as he says “see you soon”, then gets back into the limousine and drives off, Dinah looking after him for a moment before she enters her building, feeling warm and content inside after what she just has been told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, Papa Sal. Also, Lance-Bertinelli does sound nice, I think. XD


	18. Chapter 18

Just as Helena has promised, she shows up at the bar again that evening; it’s Saturday, so Renee is there, too, manning the bar with Dinah, who waves happily at her when she enters.

“Hey”, she greets the moment Helena is close enough to hear her, leaning over the counter for a brief, but gentle kiss, “happy to see you.”

“Likewise”, Helena tells her, then sits down, noticing the way Renee is scrutinizing her, fighting the urge to fidget on the seat as she’s not quite sure what to think of this look.

“So”, Renee says after a moment, “the famed Helena Bertinelli. I’ve heard much about you, but only get a good look at you now. You know what I used to do before I opened this joint here?”

“No…?” Helena says, while Dinah gives Renee a warning look, one the woman ignores though, keeping her gaze on Helena as she continues.

“I used to be a cop”, she says, Helena raising an eyebrow, but not making a comment, “so I know all the ways to get rid of a body. Just sayin’. You know, in case you don’t treat Dinah right.”

“Renee!” Dinah says, horrified, while Helena looks just mildly taken aback, “be nice! Jeez, Helena, I’m sorry.”

“Never mind”, Helena says, with a slight wave of her hand, “this, while creative, isn’t that impressive after you’ve dealt with some rich guy who thinks he can cheat you to his heart’s content when he sees you’re a young woman.”

“Ha”, Dinah lets out in response, with a triumphant look at Renee, “your attempt to intimidate my girl didn’t work. Serves you right for trying in the first place.”

“Hmph”, Renee lets out, Dinah shaking her head before she asks Helena what she can get her; once again, Helena orders a coke, and after Dinah has provided her with that, a table of young men calls out to her, their bottles empty and in dire need of a refill.

“Seriously though”, Renee says, making Helena look at her again, “I may have overdone it just now, but… treat her well. Alright?”

“Planning to”, Helena reassures her, then glances at Dinah as she takes the orders of the guys, and the way her gaze softens and a tiny smile curls her lips when she simply looks at her makes Renee smile as well. 

“Yeah”, she says, as her phone starts blaring in her pocket, “I believe you. Excuse me, I gotta take this.”

She retreats to her backroom just as Dinah comes back and starts opening bottles for the guys; Helena watches her do so, remembering how those fingers have touched her the night before, and flushing at the memories, her blush impossibly deepening further when Dinah looks up, catches her eye and winks at her.

“I know what you’re thinking about”, the barkeep then claims, and Helena clears her throat in response, “in fact, I’ve been thinking about that, too. And about when we’ll get to repeat it.”

“...take it and shove it where the sun don’t shine, you son of a bitch!” Renee interrupts them as she comes storming out of the backroom; she angrily hangs up and slams her phone down onto the counter, grumbling to herself as Dinah and Helena can only stare at her.

“Fucking landlord”, Renee finally says, after just steaming in silence for half a minute, “he wants to double the rent I pay for this place! Double! If he does that, more than half of what I make here will go to him! Fucking shark!”

She lets out an unarticulated noise of anger, then claims that she needs some fresh air and storms out; Dinah can only blink, feeling bad for her, not sure how to help - and feeling selfish, as well, because she knows this might end with either Harley or her losing her job, and she can’t imagine how she’ll get by without the money she makes from this.

“Damn”, she says out loud, then notices the thoughtful look Helena has on her face now, and frowns, saying her name and making her look at her again.

“What are you thinking about?” she wants to know, and Helena shrugs, then clears her throat, fidgeting a bit now, suddenly nervous as she remembers well what has happened the last time she has given financial help without having been asked for it.

“I might… be able to do something about Renee’s problems”, she says, Dinah raising an eyebrow, “you don’t happen to know who her landlord is, right?”

“Well, no”, Dinah says, “but I guess I can find out. What do you want to do? Wait, it’s not something illegal, right?”

“No”, Helena reassures her at once, “I was… um… thinking about buying the building…?”   


Once again, Dinah can only blink - she knows Helena is rich, has a vague idea of how many businesses the Bertinelli name is involved in, but she never really has thought about, and the fact that Helena talks about buying a building the way others talk about buying coffee at Starbucks does take her aback a bit.

“I’d get to set the rent, then”, Helena adds, thoughtful again, “and it’d be fair, so Renee won’t feel like I’m giving her a handout. What do you think?”

“...do it”, Dinah says after a moment, “that guy really is a shark, he’s raised the rent three times since I’ve started working here, and he’ll keep going until she has to close if no one stops him.”

“Alright”, Helena agrees, already pulling out her phone, “I’ll make some calls, see if I can get this started, I guess my guy can find out who the owner of this building is, so you don’t need to go snooping in Renee’s stuff.”

“You have a guy to buy buildings?” Dinah repeats, blinking again, “and you can just call him at this time?”

“He’s a guy for more than that”, Helena tells her, “but yes, with what I pay him, I can call him at three a.m., and he’ll pick up. Be right back.”

Dinah nods, momentarily feeling weird again as she realizes she’s dating a woman rich enough so she can just buy buildings when she feels like it; then, she shrugs it off, and tells herself it’s okay, she’s not doing this for personal gain, but for a friend, and Helena has said that Renee will still have to pay rent, so she’s not just helping from the goodness of her heart. 

Helena gives her a brief smile, then walks outside to make her call; and while she waits for her to come back, Dinah toys with an empty glass, smiling to herself as she all at once just knows that things will be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And after Papa Sal, we go Mama Renee. :D


	19. Chapter 19

A few days later, Renee receives a letter in the mail, telling her that she is renting her bar from Bertinelli Corp now and the new monthly rent she’ll have to pay; and even though it’s Wednesday, a quiet day, Renee heads to her bar in the evening, knowing Dinah has the day’s shift, and knowing that, if Dinah is there, Helena will be, too.

She’s right, as she has known she will be, Helena’s already there when she arrives, sitting at the bar and chatting with Dinah, both of them looking at her though when she stomps over to them and practically shoves the letter into Helena’s face.

“This is your doing, isn’t it”, she says, shaking the letter for emphasis; Dinah looks a bit worried, but Helena figures there’s no use in lying, her family name is on the top of the letter after all, and so, she just nods, hoping this won’t turn out to have been a mistake.

Renee stares at her for another tense second or two - before she reaches out and claps her on the shoulder, gaze softening visibly, to the relief of the taller woman.

“Good”, the former cop says, “thank you. Your next drink’s on me.”

“Welcome”, Helena gives back, Renee giving her a brief smile before she retreats to her backroom, Dinah smiling as she watches her go.

“Thank you from me as well, for doing this”, she then says, turning to look at her girlfriend again, “I know you didn’t have to, and I appreciate it.”

“I want to make you happy”, Helena simply replies, Dinah’s cheeks reddening in response, in a rare reversal of their roles, “and I’m told showering you with expensive gifts might have unwanted results, but this makes your friend happy too so…”

Dinah’s gaze softens at this, she knows exactly what unwanted results Helena is talking about, and once more feels bad about how she’s lashed out at her about the car repair, knowing Helena has meant well when she’d told her that.

“Well, you know”, she says, reaching over the counter with both hands to grasp Helena’s, “I wouldn’t mind a gift every now and then. I just… I don’t know, I don’t want you to feel like have to gift me things, I want to be with you no matter what, alright? And also, I can’t buy you things in return.”

“That you’re with me is the most amazing gift you could give me already”, Helena replies, and again Dinah blushes, wondering what has gotten into the taller woman to make her so poetic and romantic - it’s not alcohol, she knows, because once again Helena’s only been drinking coke, as she has the last few times she’s been here, “but I’m also glad you just said that, cause I got a little something for you.”

“Oh?” Dinah lets out, curious now despite her best intentions to not let Helena buy her too many things, “what is it?”

Helena reaches into her pocket in response, and brings out a small black jewelry box; and suddenly, she’s not suave and smooth anymore, but clears her throat nervously as she holds it out to her, mumbling “I hope you like them”, looking a bit apprehensive when Dinah takes the box and opens it.

It’s a pair of earrings, simple golden rings, fitting the rest of her jewelry; she can tell they haven’t been cheap, and she can’t stop the little gasp from escaping her, Helena giving her a somewhat lopsided smile when she looks up at her again.

“They’re beautiful”, she says, carefully taking one out for a closer look, “thank you so much, I love them.”

“I’m glad you like them”, Helena tells her, “I saw them and they made me think of you so…”

“Aw”, Dinah lets out, “you’re so sweet. I’m lucky I snatched you up before anyone else could.”

She notes a flicker of something in Helena’s face when she says this, but it’s only there for a second, so short she’s not even sure what it was; and before she can figure out how to ask, a new guest arrives and asks for a drink, distracting her, but she doesn’t forget about it, storing it in the back of her mind for when they’ll have some proper alone time together.

* * *

As it turns out, she doesn’t need to wait for too long, Helena stays at the bar until it closes and then Dinah goes to her place with her; and even though it’s late, they end up unable to keep their hands off each other, now snuggling in Helena’s bed, both feeling very relaxed and content.

“You know”, Helena is the one to break the comfortable silence after a while, idly playing with Dinah’s hair as the smaller woman rests in her arms, listening to her heartbeat, “I think you got it backwards. At the bar.”

“Hm?” Dinah makes, she has a vague idea what Helena is talking about, but she can tell this is not easy for her, and she feels like saying more will be the exact opposite of helpful right now; Helena pauses, then clears her throat, and looks her in the eye, and Dinah can tell how hard this is for her, and her heart flies out to her.

“I’m the lucky one”, Helena finally does continue, “you probably noticed but… before I started coming to your bar I was… I was really lonely. I mean, yeah, I had Sal, but no friends, just acquaintances, no one to truly share my life with. So all I did was go to bars, sit there alone, and drink. But then I met you, and you were kind, and patient, even when I was rude and now… Now we got this. And I’m happy, and lucky.”

“We’re both lucky”, Dinah decides in response, making Helena smile slightly, “cause, yeah, I have friends, good ones, but… what we have, that makes me happy, too. You make me happy.”

“I love you”, Helena says, not allowing herself to ponder that it may be too early for this, that this is too rash; Dinah’s breath catches, and for a second, Helena worries after all, concerned she’s ruined it all now.

Then Dinah smiles brightly at her, and kisses her, and when she mumbles “I love you too” into her ear afterwards, she’s happier than she ever has been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 I just love writing these two dorks sappy and happy. :D


	20. Epilogue

To everyone’s surprise, Sal is the one who cries the hardest when they get married a year and a half later, he’s already sniffling when he walks Helena down the aisle and he’s bawling full force by the time Dinah is joining them.

Cassandra has been chosen as the ring bearer, and while she has joked about pocketing them before the wedding, she takes the role seriously once the time comes; and when Helena slides the simple gold ring onto Dinah’s finger, even Renee blinks and needs a tissue, and anyone who can see it is tactful - and smart - enough to not mention it.

After the ceremony, they all move on to the bar, where a buffet is ready and waiting for them; and then there’s drinks and food and the good mood they all are sharing, a cheer coming from the assembled guests when the music for the first dance of the newly wed couple starts.

It’s a slow and short song, one Helena can handle with no trouble even with her bad leg; she still moves to sit down again quickly once it’s over, and not just because of her leg, this is her wedding, but still she feels weird when all eyes are on Dinah and her like this.

Dinah moves to sit next to her, grasping her hand, admiring how good the rings look on their fingers; Helena smiles and squeezes her hand, then tells her she can go dance some more if she wants, Dinah shaking her head at once.

“Come on”, she then says, giving her hand another squeeze, “I can dance later, for now, I want to spend some time with my wife. Ha! My wife, I don’t think I’ll tire of saying that anytime soon.”

“Your wife!” Harley cheers as she sits down as well, for once not on her skates, having claimed they wouldn’t go with her dress, “finally, we’ve all been betting on when you’d finally do it. Who proposed?”

“Helena did”, Dinah tells her, amused at the betting thing, while Helena raises an eyebrow at it, “and no, before you ask, she did not get down on one knee. We were out for dinner and she asked after dessert.”

“Should have put the ring into the dessert”, Harley tells her, giggling when Helena points out that would have gotten messy, since the dessert in question has been milkshakes, “but aw, sweet. And congrats, you guys, you deserve it. Tell me, Dinah, did you expect any of this to happen when she walked into the bar back then?”

“No”, Dinah replies with a small laugh, “even though I have to say, you did look attractive that night already, babe, even with the whole brooding thing you had going on.”

“I was good at brooding”, Helena solemnly says, “and thanks. I also thought you’re very pretty when I walked in here for the first time.”

“And yet you were rude to her”, Harley reminds her, and she grimaces; Dinah shakes her head and gives her a scolding look, then squeezes Helena’s hand again, something Harley apparently takes as her cue to leave again, declaring she’ll get a drink as she bounces up from the chair.

“You want to hear something funny?” Dinah asks once Harley is gone, making Helena nod; the barkeep smirks, then gestures at Sal, who’s talking to Renee - hopefully not telling some embarrassing story of her childhood, Helena thinks, her focus moving back to Dinah when she speaks up again.

“After the first night we spend at your house”, she says, “when Sal drove me home? He told me how he was around when you grew up, and that he told you he wants to walk you down the aisle when you get married.”

“He kept reminding me of that when he realized we’re serious”, Helena says, smiling fondly at how much he cares for her, “as if I would have let anyone else do it.”

“Well, back then I thought how  _ Lance-Bertinelli  _ does have a nice ring to it”, Dinah tells her, making her smirk, “and then I scolded myself for thinking such things after just the second date. And, well, here we are now, and turns out I was right.”

She smiles and leans in for a brief kiss, then looks at their joined hands and the rings again, eyes sparkling when they come back up to meet Helena’s, mirroring the happiness she can see in the taller woman’s gaze.

“It does sound very good”, Helena solemnly agrees, before she can’t stop the grin anymore; Dinah nods, and laughs, and leans in to kiss her again, and for both of them, all is well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And! It is done. Writing this pairing is a lot of fun, so a new fic will start soon :) Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos and commenting - I hope you enjoyed this :D


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